The Guadalajara Reporter

Veterans vs. Memorial Day;  Veterans Day vs. any cliched consideration that’s gone in a moment

Veterans Day arrival takes time for some of us to digest, to ponder, to meditate on, trying to qualify thought vs. emotion.   And certainly it deserves the time and analysis that takes.

We simply should be better prepared for that World War I commemoration: “the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month.”   Some people get that date tangled up with Memorial Day, a Civil War remembrance first observed on May 28, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.  It was called Decoration Day, and always observed when I was a kid.

Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor all those who served honorably in the military – in wartime or peacetime.  In contrast to Memorial Day, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank living veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served – not only those who died – have sacrificed and done their duty.  

Please login or subscribe to view the complete article.