I have actually spent the better part of the last week thinking about and reflecting on both the Marine Corps Birthday (Nov. 10th, 1775) and Veterans Day (Nov. 11th). I found it very difficult to not only express my feelings on these two days, but to actually find something that paid even the slightest degree of respect that our service men and women deserve. Fortunately, my friend Harry K. Jones has found the exact words that I wanted to convey. I have inserted his posting in full below (I hope you don’t mind) and would ask you to also wish him and his family as Happy Veterans Day!
You would think that as a veteran of not one branch of service, but three (USMC 92-00, USANG 00-02, and USAFR 02-05), I would actually have a good idea of what it takes and means to be a member of our armed forces. Well, I do and that is the problem – There is no way to adequately convey the actual honor, commitment, and selflessness that those who serve in our armed forces have in abundance.
Whether you find the current conflicts we are embroiled in to be right, wrong, or indifferent is beside the point. Our Veterans, both past and present not only deserve our respect, but they should have our love and adulation as well. On a daily basis they willingly and without complaint run towards danger, risking life and limb, to secure our freedom. To these my brethren and sisters, I salute you and all that you do – Happy Veterans Day! May it be a safe one and may you all return quickly home to your family and loved ones.
A Heartfelt Plea On Veterans Day
I take great pride in being a military Veteran.
I’m also proud to be father of a United States Marine.
I’ve had the unique privilege of visiting Arlington Cemetery where the site of more than 300,000 white crosses, marking the graves of brave soldiers who gave their lives for this country, takes your breath away.
I’ve stood atop the hill overlooking our nation’s capitol as I witnessed the traditional Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
I’ve spent hours standing at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in D.C. paying my respects and watching thousands of others crying, praying, and conducting a traditional rubbing of the name of their loved ones. 58,195 names appear on that highly polished monument and countless tears have been shed in the silence and reverence in the shadow of that wall.
Having done these things makes it unusually effortless for me to know and feel the true meaning of Veterans Day. However, for many others, it’s nothing more than another day that the banks are closed and the mail isn’t delivered.
If you’re too busy to pause for a few minutes today in honor of Veterans, I suggest you examine closely what you’re doing that’s so important at this moment. I would also suggest you reflect on the fact that you’re only doing whatever it is because of our Veterans. It’s their training, dedication, effort, patriotism, and love of country that provide us with the freedom we so often take for granted.
Take just a moment or two out of your very busy schedule to view this video as a reminder of why we put this day aside to honor our Veterans. Upon completion of the video, I think you might want to seek out a Veteran or the family of a Veteran and provide a simple but heartfelt “Thank You” for the freedoms you enjoy every day of your life.
Personally, I don’t believe there should be a Veterans Day. A single day is a very small price to pay for the enormous sacrifice made by so many hundreds of thousands of American men and women to guarantee the freedom for so many others. I think every day should be Veterans Day.
In fact, for many people it is. Check the following link to see what goes on every day at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport as our soldiers return home from all over the world. This too should bring a tear to your eye and maybe an incentive to treat this day as the hallowed day that it is.
Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information on Harry’s presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.
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To all my fellow US Marines, their families, and loved ones – Happy 234th Birthday!