President John F. Kennedy once said, A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.""
Nov. 11 is one such day - a day reserved to honor and remember all men and women who have served our country for a cause greater than their own.
The history of Veterans Day is worth repeating. In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day in the 11th month, the world rejoiced and celebrated. After four years of gruesome carnage, destruction and unfathomable loss of life, an armistice was signed. The ""war to end all wars"" was over. In order to better ensure a lasting peace, to remember the sacrifices that men and women made, and to provide an opportunity to celebrate those who served, Nov. 11, 1919 was set aside as Armistice Day in the U.S. Soldiers who survived the war marched in a parade through their hometowns. Politicians and veteran officers gave speeches and held ceremonies of thanks for the peace they had won.
Twenty years later, with the ominous prospects of a new world war ever apparent, Armistice Day was made a national holiday. In 1954, the name was officially changed to Veterans Day, as a day to celebrate the veterans of all of our nation's wars.
The focal point for our national rembrance ceremony centers in Arlington National Cemetery at The Tomb of the Unknown. Every year, special services begin at 11 a.m. with two minutes of silence. ""Taps"" plays and the president places a wreath at the tomb. A color guard procession follows, and the ceremony ends with a few speeches, usually one by the president.
It is imperative to remember this history, especially in present times. Following the loss of more than 116, 000 soldiers in World War I, World War II saw 405, 400 deaths. In the Korean and Vietnam Wars, we lost 58,000 and 5,500 soldiers, respectively. Finally, 4,200 fatalities have resulted from the Iraq War. Considering the horrendous number of casualties in these wars, the most important question to ask ourselves during any time of war is: ""Why, and for what, are we fighting?""
President Lincoln's Gettsyburg address answers this question and challenges us better than anyone before or since. Lincoln proclaimed that, ""Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal ... we can not hallow this ground.""
Furthermore, Lincoln stated ""The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."" Few could have said it better, and we must heed these words.
I remember listening to a large panel discussion of scholars and professors while in England during the 60th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy. One professor mentioned hearing President Johnson remark after challenging American interventionism, ""Shall we bring our graves home too?"" It is a powerful point. The graves of the U.S's young men and women lie on every continent, in every region of this globe. The U.S. may not have always been in the right, but our soldiers have always heroically carried out their mission in the name of our great nation. How will you remember and honor their service on Nov. 11?
I find it difficult not to think about this Veterans Day in juxtaposition with Tuesday's historic election. There are more than 140,000 active troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Soon, with luck, most will be coming home, and we have enormous work to do to make sure we remember and honor their sacrifice, from access to top-notch health care to guaranteed higher-education opportunities, to world-class family support services. For me (in absence of any official UW-Madison recognition, which is extremely unfortunate) this Veterans Day will hopefully be a day to celebrate peace, and hope for a future where peace will not be a trifle, but an ultimate goal for humanity as philospher Emmanuel Kant called it - a perpetual peace.
Joseph Koss is a junior majoring in secondary education in social studies. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
