We have celebrated some remarkable 250th anniversaries this year.
In the spring of 1775, civil discontent with royal rulers was growing, and American Patriots in Massachusetts and other colonies were preparing to cast off their masters.
On 23 March, we observed the anniversary of Patrick Henry’s impassioned “Give me Liberty or give me death” speech, which captured the spirit of the coming revolution in defense of American Liberty.
The anniversary of the first Patriots’ Day was 19 April. The battles of Lexington and Concord, on which our quest for Liberty was launched, were among the 10 most critical engagements of the Revolutionary War.
That opening salvo 250 years ago was immortalized by poet Ralph Waldo Emerson as “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World.”
On 14 June 1775, the Continental Congress directed “six companies of expert riflemen be immediately raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia,” establishing the Continental Army, now the U.S. Army. The next day, George Washington was appointed its Commander.
13 October was the 250th anniversary of the founding of our Navy, when the Continental Congress authorized the arming of two sailing vessels with 80 men and 10 carriage guns in order to intercept British supply and munitions transports.
10 November is the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps founding, when the Second Continental Congress resolved to create two battalions of Continental Marines to pursue the War of Independence against the British royals.
And 11 November, we observe the anniversary of Veterans Day.
However, our national Veterans Day observance originated as Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I, “on the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month,” 1918. The Armistice commemoration was to honor Veterans of World War I.
On 11 November 1921, the remains of an unidentified American soldier from World War I were buried in Arlington National Cemetery in the Tomb of the Unknown in recognition of WWI Veterans and in conjunction with the cessation of hostilities on 11 November 1918. Veterans Day is observed by a moment of silence and prayer at the 11th hour.
In the years that followed, the remains of three additional warriors — one each from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War — were laid to rest at the tomb. The 2021 observance marked the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Tomb of the Unknowns.
Inscribed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are the words, “Here lies in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”
But it was not until 1954 that President Dwight D. Eisenhower, former Supreme Allied Commander of World War II, signed legislation formally changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day. Eisenhower wrote, “Let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us re-consecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.”
Eisenhower declared: “All the history of America bears witness to this truth. Out of faith in God, and through faith in themselves as His children, our forefathers designed and built this Republic. We remember the picture of the Father of our Country, on his knees at Valley Forge seeking divine guidance in the cold gloom of a bitter winter. Thus Washington gained strength to lead to independence a nation dedicated to the belief that each of us is divinely endowed with indestructible rights. We remember, too, that three-fourths of a century later, on the battle-torn field of Gettysburg, and in the silence of many a wartime night, Abraham Lincoln recognized that only under God could this Nation win a new birth of freedom. … By the millions, we speak prayers, we sing hymns — and no matter what their words may be, their spirit is the same — ‘In God is our trust.’”
Though this is only the 67th anniversary of the designation of our national Veterans Day, American Veterans have valiantly carried forward the banner of Liberty since that first Shot Heard ‘Round the World 250 years ago.
We set aside Veterans Day to honor the high price of sacrifice paid by generations of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen making up the ranks of more than 41 million Veterans who have served our nation since the American Revolution.
American Patriots have, for generations, honored their sacred oaths “to support and defend” the American Liberty “endowed by their Creator” as the unalienable Rights of Man — the rights of all people, as affirmed in our Declaration of Independence and enshrined in our Republic’s Constitution.
Veterans Day, as distinguished from Memorial Day, is primarily to honor and celebrate the millions of American Veterans in our midst — those we can thank in person for their service and sacrifice — and to thank the spouses, widows, and families who supported them through their service to our nation.
It is a stark reminder that Freedom is not Free.
At one point in their lives, every Veteran wrote a blank check made payable to “The People of the United States of America” for an amount up to and including their life.
In the words of Army Veteran Charles M. Province:
It is the Soldier, not the minister, who has given us freedom of religion. It is the Soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the Soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to protest. It is the Soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the Soldier, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote. It is the Soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.
On a personal note, our family is descended from a long line of American Patriots, beginning with Revolutionary War militia officers who served with the Overmountain Men in the Battle of Kings Mountain in October 1780 — a turning point in the American Revolution.
But the Veteran who most profoundly influenced my life was my father, a Naval Aviator in World War II — as had been his father before him in World War I. He departed this life 10 years ago, but his legacy continues to inspire The Patriot Post’s Mission of Service to our Armed Forces and Veterans. His story is one that will be familiar in some important ways to anyone with a relative from the Greatest Generation, and this column, “A Final Folding of Wings,” is dedicated to him and his generation.
On this Veterans Day, and every day of the year, may God bless our men and women in uniform, who have stood in harm’s way. For their steadfast devotion to duty, honor, and country, we, the American people, offer them our humble gratitude and heartfelt thanks.
Live your life worthy of the sacrifice of 250 years of American Veterans!
“Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
(Read more Profiles of Valor here.)
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776
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