EDITOR’S NOTE: Today’s editorial originally published Nov. 11, 2020.
To our veterans: Thank you for your service and your sacrifice.
Veterans Day is both for the living and the deceased, so we pay homage also the memory and legacy of veterans who are no longer with us. Their service and sacrifice is remembered and appreciated.
Veterans Day began as Armistice Day, in recognition of the armistice reached at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918 that halted the fighting in World War I. In 1938, Nov. 11 became an official holiday to honor the surviving servicemen of the “war to end all wars” and remember those who had passed. But then there was World War II. And the Korean War. And in 1954, Armistice Day became Veterans Day — an opportunity to thank and acknowledge all veterans.
While it’s nice to have a day set aside to honor and show our appreciation for veterans, supporting them is more than just saying “thank you.” Many will be grateful to hear the words, but many more would rather see actions.
There are little things you can do, like random acts of kindness. Pick up a veteran’s tab at the bar or buy his or her meal at a restaurant or coffee at a café. Not just today, but any day.
But there are also more substantial things you can do to show your support and appreciation — like donate time or resources to organizations that help veterans and active duty military. Here in Morgantown, there’s Operation Welcome Home, which provides a variety of services, including job placement for returning service members and providing a supportive environment for veterans to meet and discuss their experiences. We also have two VFW posts (Veterans of Foreign Wars), which are places for veterans to gather. There’s the Morgantown Vet Center, too, and Veterans Upward Bound, which helps veterans access higher education. There are also state organizations, like We Have Your Six in Parkersburg, that specifically help homeless veterans. However, any donation you make to a local food bank or shelter is likely to assist a veteran, as well as others.
The list above is a place to start, but it is not the be-all-end-all. Local community service organizations or churches may have programs in place designed to support veterans and active military personnel, such as sending care packages overseas or to veterans in the community. Particularly with the holidays coming up, there may be programs to send cards or gifts.
Of course, you can always do something on your own. Know a veteran in your neighborhood or in the local nursing home? Do something special for them. Spend time with them and talk to them. They may not be comfortable talking about their service, but they’ll still be grateful that someone took the time to have a conversation with them and listen. And if they do want to talk about their time in the military, you’ll have the unique opportunity to hear their stories.
Veterans Day is when we consciously choose to acknowledge veterans thank them for their service. That said, we can thank them with more than words, and we don’t have to wait until Nov. 11 every year to show our gratitude. Veterans are people of action, and when we offer them our support and appreciation, we need to be people of action, too.
