It's Veterans Day, and across the land the military veteran is being honored with department store sales, parades, memorial services, thoughtful editorials, wreath-laying services, grand speeches, solemn ceremonies and a holiday -- a holiday, that is, as long as you work for a government agency. Some private and non-government employers also give the day off, to be sure. But take a look around: What you'll see is what you normally see in America: Those who have jobs are working today, including millions of veterans who served stateside and around the world, in foreign conflicts and in peacetime.
The sad fact is that veterans are honored mostly with lip service. Of course, giving a veteran the day off is not the only way to properly honor a vet's service. There are many ways to honor them, and I've never heard a veteran complain publicly about this. Most of them simply do what they did in the service: they do their jobs and they move on. But a holiday for veterans as well as for their fellow Americans would more completely recognize the sacrifice and commitment of veterans and their families. A holiday for all veterans on Veterans Day, too often honored as an afterthought in a too-busy world, would show those who served under arms that their service is truly appreciated.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
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6 comments:
As a Veteran, today carries more significance to me than my birthday. I feel as though I earned Veteran's Day. All I did on my birthday was be born (Mom did all the work).
That being said, I absolutely believe Veterans should not be required to work. However, Veterans should not fritter the day away. We should find a way to honor our civil servant brethren.
Yes.
Absolutely! Our veterans deserve so much more than we could ever give them! One day off of work to honor their dedication to this country is not enough.
We need to honor and take care of our service people. THey have given so much for us. Instead we use a holiday like Veterans Day to lower prices on cars and tvs?
Please take a moment today to do something nice for a veteran, service person or their families. I work with a company called Prescription Audio that makes audio treatments that have been shown to reduce symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. We are giving this treatment away for Veterans Day this year. www.prescriptionaudio.com
is veterans day a non-working holiday on the US?..
i mean, is it the same as thanksgiving or christmas?..
I'm a Veteran, and to honor us with a day off, to show graditude is not asking much. We have people in this country who take there freedom for granted, they really would not understand the things we had to endure while serving our country, and to say thank you qwith a day off is great. I spent almost a year in Iraq, and to see how these people live in fear, because of there goverment, is sad. But we have people who speak out against there own country and nothing is done about it, but if you was to speak out in Iraq, Iran and other countries, you would be hang or shot.Say lets not forget our Veterans, give them a hug and say thanks for my freedom.
City of Charlotte Government does not have the day off. Many governmants do not have the day off. And I personally know of several vets who work for the City. Very sad. It's one thing to say you support the troops, veterans, etc., another to actually do so. Lip service, I guess.
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