Veterans: We honor their sacrifices
Veterans are not born; they are made - of grit and determination and sinew, of brain and brotherhood, of luck and allegiance and muscle.
There is something that sets these worthies apart from the rest of us. Whether they have seen service in battle or not, they know something of responsibility and regimen. Many of the best of them are hardened like the finest steel.
Some had their wisdom forged in foreign wars; others might have walked the watchline on the perimeter of civilization, peering into the darkness. Think of those who have stood guard in nuclear missile silos for endless hours, an arm's length from the end of the world, and consider how such a responsibility might turn a boy into a man.
Whether they do battle or just do their duty, America's soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are putting themselves on the line for you and me, and for all of us.
That's why today we honor those men and women who have worn their country's uniform. Veterans Day gives us all a chance to thank our parents, brothers, sisters, children, friends and neighbors for what they have done to protect us and our freedom.
It is particularly poignant this year to pay homage to yesterday's soldiers at a time when today's soldiers are fighting to rid Iraq and the world of terrorist vermin. The battle for Fallujah has claimed some lives, just as all battles do, but it also proves once again how effective, how feared and how fierce America's fighting forces are.
It is also worth remembering that Veterans Day was begun as Armistice Day to honor veterans of World War I, a war which was so brutal that its participants called it "The War to End All Wars." More than 10 million perished, but as we know now, mankind did not learn peace from the high cost of that war.
Instead, from that war and World War II, Americans learned the value of vigilance, preparedness and willingness to fight for our way of life. But those words are hollow without the blood and bravery of U.S. soldiers behind them.
Today, as we pay tribute to our fighting heroes, it is worth recalling the words of one of America's greatest generals, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who as president of the United States in 1954, wrote of Veterans Day in a proclamation: "On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting
an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain."