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I am sitting in a familiar school auditorium again this year, as I did two years ago. Part of my position description as a civilian public affairs specialist is to build and maintain community relations for my Army commander. I will argue with anyone that I have the best job in the Department of Defense.
This year is a different commander, but the venue and program are the same. Even some of the faces are the same from two years ago. My commander will speak to this small community, which is very welcoming to all things military.
The high school band, the Boy Scouts of America, the VFW, the Auxiliary, the citizens are here again to celebrate with the exact program they have for several years.
This past Friday I accompanied a colonel from our command to a local high school to speak to the students at their annual Veterans Day assembly. This student-lead program had many similar elements as the November 11 community event. These elements included recognition of the local veterans, songs from each military branch, a bugle playing Taps, and bands playing patriotic songs.
My father was a veteran and was recognized at my children’s schools in the Veterans Day programs he attended with them before his death from a long illness in 2019. Our schools are many miles away from the two events I attended these past few days. We have no familial ties to the communities or people I encountered.
But then as I laid my hand over my heart as the flag was presented and retired, as I smiled when each military song played back-to-back, as I turned my head to look at the veterans who were asked to stand, I realized I do have a tie to these communities and the veterans.
I most likely will not meet with anyone from these events in the future outside of the coordinators. The veterans who are aging and stooped may not be there if I am lucky enough to accompany another leader again. The students will have moved on to their colleges and careers. The probability of me living in or near these towns is extremely small.
Yet we all have a tie to each other because of Veterans Day.
I mean no disrespect to the coordinators of the events. Please know I am not downplaying the importance of this day, nor the redundancy of how the programs unfold. I realized during the event today that while we are honoring the men and women who “committed to something bigger than ourselves,” that these ceremonies are largely for us.
We remember those veterans who have died, whether in combat or long after. We honor their service, especially if, like me, we will never know what it is like to march with a heavy ruck sack or sleep in a temporary shelter while artillery flies overhead. Some of them chose the military, for others the military chose them. Both sacrificed to keep our freedoms and help others around the world to have these same freedoms.
I fought tears as certain patriotic songs were sung (darn you Lee Greenwood!), and the explanation of the POW/MIA table was shared. Both parts of the ceremonies have been witnessed by me too many times to count, but I still cry. I still well up with pride when stories of these brave individuals are shared, although I will never again encounter them on a given day.
But I have the freedom to attend these ceremonies, honor these service members and their families, and listen to the speeches and bands and poems and prayers and stories.
We are encouraged to thank a veteran for their service, and not just on November 11 each year, but every time we see a veteran. Please remember to do this. Teach our children to do this; even the veterans we have no real ties to.
| Date Taken: | 11.11.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.11.2024 18:10 |
| Story ID: | 485036 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Veterans Day relevance, by Terri Stover, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
