Veterans Day Remembered JCI: USA

While Veterans Day was officially declared by President Eisenhower in honor of end of hostilities in WWI being the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, its intent was also to give federal employees a 3-day weekend as a reward for their service to the country (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veteran%27s_Day).

In the U.S., we traditionally celebrated this occasion with holiday shopping and a day off from school or work -- at least that was my understanding growing up because I had not seen a major conflict in my lifetime, especially with the impact of WWI, which was mostly a list of questions on a history exam. Even in the 90's when older siblings of friends went off to Iraq and CNN was bolstered as a major news network because everyone was glued to the images of a remote war, it was all so distant. Later, in college, Iraq War Veterans flooded the schools on their GI Bill and I took classes alongside them, hearing some of their stories. Still they were stories that seemed distant and short-lived.

WWI (28 July 1914–11 November 1918) lasted a little over 4 years (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWI) and WWII (September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945) one day more than 6 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWII). My generation's "world conflict," the Iraq War officially was declared on March 2003, heading into 4.5 years to date. Often tied to the September 11 attacks on the U.S. Northeast (intimately effecting New York with a hefty death toll of more than 2400 in the World Trade Center in 2001), then later tied to the UN hunt for Weapons of Mass Destruction, which were never found (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_war), the world is waiting for the 2008 U.S. Presidential elections to see if the war will come to an end soon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election%2C_2008).

But to me, a true Veterans Day is more than just about U.S. observance and shopping specials. It's a day for all veterans world wide in all countries, of all cultures, and from all conflicts, who represent their countries and risk their lives for the ideals of their homeland. They are ambassadors and representatives and politicians. And while JCI ultimately envisions World Peace, it is our young and our JCI-age friends who are sent to fight the battles.

So for all of them on this Veterans Day 2008, I truly hope for" a message [that] will come in the sometime of tomorrow that will stir the people toward the establishment of a permanent and everlasting world peace."

The JCI Vision:
From within the walls of the soul of this organization wherein the foundation of character and good citizenship are laid, I hope a message will come in the sometime of tomorrow that will stir the people toward the establishment of a permanent and everlasting world peace.