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Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009
Our View: Many stories are behind Veterans Day
Take time today to remember those who served and sacrificed for our freedom.
What is Veterans Day?
It's not about the military, or the politicians, the president. And, no, not the generals.
Veterans Day is about the young men and women who for one reason or another went off to serve their country. Sometimes in war, sometimes in peace. It makes no difference if it was World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War. Or if it was Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Kuwait, Afghanistan or Iraq.
Today is all about the veteran.
It's to celebrate that young boy who dropped out of high school during the Great Depression to join the Navy so he could experience an adventure, three hot meals a day and a dry, warm bunk at night. A man with a young family who was drafted after Pearl Harbor. He reluctantly goes back in to the Navy, and at age 26 all the sailors call him "gramps."
It's to celebrate the two high school buddies, John and Steve, who are so pumped up after talking to a Marine recruiter that they can't wait to graduate to join up and go fight in Vietnam. Only one returned.
It's to celebrate the recent college grad who joined the National Guard in the early 1960s because he believed it was the right thing to do. He is only activated during the Watts Riots of 1965 and serves guard duty for a week in South Central Los Angeles.
It's to celebrate the young man with no real options and joins the Army rather than be drafted and serves for two years in Germany.
It's to celebrate the young man who is drafted during the Vietnam War into the Marine Corps. After he gets out, he goes to college so he can go back in as an officer.
It's to celebrate the young Latino surfer dude who joins the Army after the draft is ended and becomes a Army Ranger in Panama so that he can afford to go to college.
These are all real people. There are millions more stories.
They are the reason we are celebrating Veterans Day today.
Editorials are the opinion of the Merced Sun-Star editorial board. Members of the editorial board include Publisher Hank Vander Veen, Executive Editor Mike Tharp, Editorial Page Editor Keith Jones, Copy Desk Chief Jesse Chenault and Online Editor Brandon Bowers.
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