“When we assumed the Soldier, we did not lay aside the Citizen; and we shall most sincerely rejoice with you in the happy hour when the establishment of American Liberty, upon the most firm and solid foundations shall enable us to return to our Private Stations in the bosom of a free, peaceful and happy Country.” —George Washington (1775)
On the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month
We set aside Veterans Day to honor the high price of sacrifice paid by generations of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen making up the ranks of more than 41 million Veterans who have served our nation since the American Revolution. They have valiantly carried forward the banner of Liberty since the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord. Millions of American Patriots have, for generations, honored their sacred oaths “to support and defend” the American Liberty “endowed by their Creator” as the unalienable Rights of Man — the rights of all people, as affirmed in our Declaration of Independence and enshrined in our Republic’s Constitution.
But Veterans Day, as distinguished from Memorial Day, is primarily to honor and celebrate the millions of American Veterans in our midst — those we can thank in person for their service and sacrifice — and to thank the spouses and families who supported them through their service to our nation. …
