Veteran's Day

11 November

Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and

Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and

Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.

Once again, we take time to stop and remember all of the men and women who have served in the armed forces both past and present.  As a member of that fraternity, I am humbled and honored to have served with an elite group of people who stood on the wall to protect our liberties and freedoms. 

Even today, I am reminded of how blessed my life is.  I served back in the 80's in Germany.   While we were not in armed combat during that period, but we were tasked to stand as a line of defense in Europe during the later days of the cold war.  There were days & nights in the field, countless hours of drills, exercise, practice "just in case".  But at least we got to go back to the barracks to our families.  Our troops currently serving over in Afghanistan and Iraq don't enjoy a lot of those luxuries.  One of our design engineers has been with the company for about a year.  He is around 28, has a wife and three kids (one less than a year old) and he just got called up with his Marine unit in Houston.  He leaves for Afghanistan around the first of the year and will be gone for almost 12 months.  It is hard to remember the sacrifices that people make to serve.  At least when I was deployed back  in the 80's,  I got to take my family with me.  The company is banding together to sponsor him and his family while he serves.  As an old Army fart, I volunteered to help organize the effort to coordinate a drive to send stuff to him and his unit while they are deployed.  We have also identified several others from the company who have son/daughters/family members serving active duty.               

Take a moment to stop and reflect on the sacrifices made by our vets who have served and those who continue to stand in harms way today.