They Also Serve

I know it is Veterans Day today.  I know there are some 18.2 million veterans in the United States.  I am one of them. I know that 99.5 percent of the American population have never served in the military and probably never will. I honor and respect all my comrades from every branch of the Armed Services today, and particularly those with whom I served throughout my 36-plus years of service both as an enlisted person and as an Air Force Chaplain.  I thank all veterans for their service.

Veteran’s Day, once called Armistice Day, originated on November 11, 1919, one year after World War I.  Congress made it an annual observance in 1926, and November 11 became a national holiday in 1938.  On Veterans Day we pay tribute as a nation to all veterans, both living and dead, who have served their country honorably in both peacetime and in war.  

I remember a time when veterans were not honored or respected. I recall a time when military personnel were encouraged not to wear the uniform when off post, ship, or base.  I’m glad things have changed in that regard—but I am also concerned that the tide may have moved too far. Why?  Because as a veteran, I am conscious of those who have also served their country and kept us free even though that service was not in the Armed Services.  They served by making my service possible.  Mr. Jeffers, Mrs. Gilman, Mr. Lee, Mr. Sim,  Professor Tideman, indeed, all my teachers and mentors, in elementary,  high school and college contributed to my mental and character development that instilled in me what was needed to serve my country.  Some of these teachers were veterans—most were not, but they served their country by preparing me for service.

I am conscious today of the politicians throughout America’s history whose lives I read and whose patriotic service inspired me to serve.  I remember Miss Beatrice Smith, my Sunday school teacher, and her almost weekly letters during all four years of my military enlisted time,  which encouraged me, helped me with the issues and problems I faced, and thus enabled me to better serve my country.  I cannot ignore the input my parents and my grandparents had on my life of military service.  Neither my parents or grandparents were ever in the military, but they prepared and supported me and my two brothers in our service to country.  They also served.  I cannot think of my military service without remembering the times my wife was left alone to carry the burden of household and family.  She also served, who stayed and waited.

No veteran stands alone or apart in terms of  service to country.  Others have also served their country without serving in the military.  So, while today we say to our veterans, “Thank you for your service,” I hope on the morrow we make every effort to say to teachers, politicians, doctors, nurses, factory workers, and to every other citizen of this great land the same: “Thank you for your service” for they also serve and secure our freedoms.

They also serve, who light the way....