Veterans Day

Today is Veterans Day.  Or Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, if you’re in Europe.

My grandfathers were both World War II veterans. They’re gone now. I’ve always appreciated their service to this country, and indeed, if they hadn’t served, I might not be here. Both of my grandmothers were war brides from other countries. Only one is still living.

So for me, it’s a day of memories, much like Memorial Day.

For many people, it’s a day to thank our veterans, those living and those who are gone. What should we thank them for? I’d say for keeping us safe; for defending our country, and for being willing to give their lives for this purpose. Even though I don’t always agree with the actions they’re sent into, I do honor and thank our veterans for their service. And I agree with those who say that we could do more to help them.

But when people say that they’re thanking veterans for giving us our freedom (or freedoms, like those in the Bill of Rights), I get confused.  How do those who are serving in Iraq, or Afghanistan, or elsewhere provide us with those freedoms?

I asked this question on Twitter, and no one answered. I figure that means that either 1. People think this should be obvious to me or 2.  People don’t really know.

I’d say our freedoms come from the Constitution, and from those who formed our government by writing it. And you could certainly say that the veterans of the American Revolution helped give us those freedoms, although it’s the Constitution and Bill of Rights that really spell them out. And our continuing freedom comes from all of us, from exercising our constitutional rights and from speaking up if we think they’re being abridged.

So, thank you, veterans. Thank you for your service. Thank you for your commitment. And thank you to all defenders of the Constitution, military or not.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30591976@N05/ / CC BY-SA 2.0