Veteran's Day 2011 - Reflections

This past Sunday at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic church,   in preparation  and remembrance  of  Veteran's Day our pastor , Father Bill invited all  veterans sitting in the congregation  to come forward for a special blessing,  and recognition for their service to our country.  My husband, Gary and our friend,  Marty Mednis were  among many who stepped forth. Without saying a word, seeing  the age of each told the  generation they represented.  While none  are no longer here from World War I, there were a few from World War II, several from Vietnam , and  many who fought in Iraq. As Father Bill  presented each with an American flag pin with a cross overlay, the congregation gave them a standing ovation.   I felt proud of my husband for the time he served during the Vietnam conflict, and proud of all.  Each one a  piece of the fabric that makes our land great. 

In Bell, the southern California city I grew up in, the official name of the park was Veteran's Park, but us kids mostly called it Bell Park. It was a great place for Dodge ball, tether ball, softball, swings and slides.  I don't know how old I was when I first understood our playground was named in honor of the military men and women who served our country ; American veterans of all wars - men like my grandfather, Cecil Cooney, great uncle Andrew Norton, uncles Lloyd Cooney and Bob Breedlove,  and how significant   that was for me, and other children playing so innocently, and free.  Men who sacrificed and believed in something bigger than themselves.    Veterans honored  then were soldiers from World War I, known as the Great War - the war to end all wars,  World War II, and the Korean War.    Vietnam , the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan were still far in the future.  Today November 11, 2011 -  veterans of those later  conflicts  are also  remembered for their sacrifice and duty to country, receiving gratitude from a grateful nation for their fortitude and service.

This morning I read about the history of Veteran's Day on the US Department of Veteran's Affairs website, http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp  and was struck by this opening paragraph,

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

The war to end ALL wars. If only it could have been.

Yes, let us always remember Veteran's Day - the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month  when the 'war to end all wars' came to an end,  and as we look forward , let our  constant hope and prayer  be just that - the war to end all  war.