Thank veterans for their service

At precisely 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918, the guns of World War I went silent.

Historians estimate that as many as 22 million people died during the four years of the conflict with millions more injured or displaced.

In 1938, 20 years after the end of the war, Congress declared the creation of a national Armistice Day to recognize and remember that conflict and to honor those who served. In 1954, under President Dwight Eisenhower, the name was changed to Veterans Day and the scope expanded, not only to honor and remember the veterans of one conflict, but to recognize all those who have served whether in times of war or times of peace.

Veterans Day ceremonies have become an annual tradition in communities and schools across the country.

There are speakers sharing memories of their time in the service, performances of patriotic songs by school children, special meals served and gatherings for veterans and their families.

The speakers represent the many faces of veterans. They may be one of the dwindling number of World War II veterans or among those who served in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan. American men and women have answered the call to serve their country in the skies, seas and on the shores of every place the United States has asked them to be, defending American interests and freedoms across the globe.

At each ceremony, the speakers share memories of their time in the service, of the sacrifices they endured far from family and of the lifelong friendships forged in the fires of conflict and grow silent in memory of those they have lost along the way. They talk about how their time in the service changed them and the way they look at the world and America’s place in it.

Veterans Day is a day for the community to gather and to thank veterans for their service. It is the day set aside each year to honor this service, so that all people may know freedoms enjoyed by all are jealously protected by the service of the few.

The battlefields of World War I have been quiet for generations, yet the scars of that war and of the conflicts that have occurred since then remain on the landscape. Each year, the passage of time and weather wear down those scars yet the memories linger.

Veterans Day serves not only to honor those who have served, but to remember the cost of that service. The recently passed PACT Act is a step forward in ensuring Veterans receive care and support for the damages to their health that are a result of their service. There are still far too many who fall through the cracks. This Veterans Day as we honor the service and legacy of those who answered the call and who stood their watch against the forces that would undermine America and its way of life, we must reach out to all veterans and ensure they have access to the assistance and benefits they have earned through that service.

Members of The Star News editorial board include Publisher Carol O’Leary, General Manager Kris O’Leary and News Editor Brian Wilson.