Official VA.gov poster celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Arlington National Cemetery Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
We set aside Veterans Day to give thanks and pay tribute to the families, and to honor directly the ultimate sacrifice of generations of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coastguardsmen, among the more than 41 million veterans who have served our nation since the American Revolution, who have carried forward the banner of Liberty throughout and ever since. Millions of Patriots have, for generations, honored their sacred oaths “to Support and Defend” those Liberties which were “endowed by our creator” as affirmed in our “Declaration of Independence” and as are enshrined in our “Constitution”.
Our National Veterans Day originated as Armistice Day, which marked the end of World War I. The Armistice commemoration was to honor those Veterans of WWI.
On 11 November 1921, an unknown American soldier from World War I was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in the Tomb of the Unknown, in recognition of WWI veterans and in conjunction with the cessation of hostilities at 11:00 on 11 November 1918 — the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Veterans Day is observed by a moment of silence and prayer at the 11th hour.
Inscribed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are the words, "Here lies in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”
In the years which followed, the remains of three additional soldiers have been laid to rest at the tomb, one each from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The 2021 observance is the historic 100th anniversary of that solemn first interment.
On November 11, 1921, President Warren G. Harding stated: “On the threshold of eternity, many a soldier, I can well believe, wondered how his ebbing blood would color the stream of human life, flowing on after his sacrifice. … Standing today on hallowed ground … it is fitting to say that his sacrifice, and that of the millions dead, shall not be in vain.” He then called on those present to join him in the Lord’s Prayer: Our Father who are in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.“
President Harding requested: "All citizens indulge in a period of silent thanks to God for these valorous lives and of supplication for His Divine mercy on our beloved country.”
In 1924, at the Monument to the American Expeditionary Forces, President Calvin Coolidge stated: “They did not regard it as a national or personal opportunity for gain or fame or glory, but as a call to sacrifice for the support of humane principles and spiritual ideals. … If anyone doubts the depth and sincerity of the attachment of the American people to their institutions and Government, if anyone doubts the sacrifices which they have been willing to make in behalf of those institutions and for what they believe to be the welfare of other nations, let them gaze upon this monument and other like memorials that have been reared in every quarter of our broad land. Let them look upon the representative gatherings of our VETERANS, and let them remember that America has dedicated itself to the service of God and man.”
In 1954 President Dwight Eisenhower, the 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.’”
Regarding sacrifice, John Stuart Mill, in his essay “The Contest In America,” wrote, “War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse. A man who has nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance at being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”
Regarding freedom, Army veteran Charles M. Province proclaimed: 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.
As President Reagan warned: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction… He also declared: “Peace fails when we forget what we stand for. It fails when we forget that our republic is based on firm principles, that with them we are the last best hope of man. … Peace is only maintained and won by those who have clear eyes and brave minds. In memory of those who gave the last full measure of devotion, may our efforts to achieve lasting peace gain strength.”
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
“When we assumed the Soldier, we did not lay aside the Citizen; and we shall most sincerely rejoice with you in the happy hour when the establishment of American Liberty, upon the most firm and solid foundations shall enable us to return to our Private Stations in the bosom of a free, peaceful and happy Country.” – George Washington
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.
To genuinely demonstrate your gratitude to our military veterans, their families, and those still serving, our fellow American Patriots who have and continue to defend the Liberty we enjoy, here is a suggestion: Strive to be, first and foremost, an American citizen worthy of their sacrifice.
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