Veterans Day Thank You

It is that time a year when we take a moment to offer a Veterans Day thank you to those who fought in the name of freedom. There is so much today that is taken for granted in light of the lives we lead in a free country. It should not be forgotten how some sacrificed in order so that many of us could cherish the lives we lead today. That being said, it should be a day of celebration.

In offering a Veterans Day thank you it is always interesting to note the history of this special day. Today, having become known as Veterans Day, was originally created in law to celebrate the end of World War I. It was originally referred to as Armistice Day. That was November 11, 1918. The law passed in the legislature in 1938 and was "dedicated to the cause of world peace." As such, the date was set to honor World War I veterans.

By 1954, the United States had endured a Second World War and the Korean War. At the time, the U.S. Congress was persuaded to change the existing law passed in 1938 by removing the word "Armistice" and instead, replacing it with the word "Veterans". The new legislation was approved on June 1, 1954. No longer would this holiday be a day to remember only the soldiers who fought in World War I. Instead, November 11th, would go down in history as a day to remember American men and women who fought in all wars on behalf of their country.

Following the creation of the Uniforms Holiday Bill in 1968, Veterans day was originally moved to the last Monday in October. This decision was not taken lightly by many states in the Union. They were not about to ignore the series of circumstances and history that resulted in the creation of this holiday in the first place. It was not going to be easy to get the country to suddenly change their recognition of such a significant date for nothing more than "administrative" reasoning. In opposition to the proposal of moving the date of celebration, many states continued to recognize Veterans Day on its original date. The new proposed date was celebrated for the first time under considerable protest on October 25th, 1971.

After considerable pressure, confusion and much debate, then President Ford signed a law on September 20th, 1975, that returned Veterans Day to its original date of November 11th. This was to take effect in 1978. This must have kept the next two years prior to the law's new enactment date interesting, with celebrations and remembrances on multiple dates. Since then however, the day has remained November 11th and continues to be celebrated as such.

In considering who you may want to send out a Veterans Day thank you to, there are a couple interesting people who you may want to think about. Mel Brooks, producer, director, writer and all around funny man is a veteran. Before creating such classics as Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles he represented the U.S. in
WWII and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. MC Hammer's "Don't Touch This" didn't always refer to his crazy pants and dancing style. Before slipping across dance floors and rap charts, Hammer joined the Navy and spent three years as an Aviation Storekeeper 3rd Class.

So remember, on this historic date, take a moment to send out your Veterans Day thank you.