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Veterans' Day
- November 11th
The 2001 Veterans Day National Ceremony at Arlington National
Cemetery's Memorial Amphitheater
~
Honoring All Who Served ~
It is the VETERAN, not
the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.
It
is the VETERAN, not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of
the press.
It is the VETERAN, not the poet,
who has
given us freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN, not the
campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer,
who has given us the
right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN, not the
politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the VETERAN,
who salutes the Flag,
who serves under the Flag,
Eternal rest grant them
O Lord,
and let the perpetual light
shine upon them.
A Day at Baltimore
Airport
Dear Friends and Family,
I hope that you will
spare me a few minutes of your time to tell you about something that
I saw on Monday, October 27.
I had been attending a
conference in Annapolis and was coming home on Sunday. As you
may recall, Los Angeles International Airport was closed on Sunday,
October 26, because of the fires that affected air traffic control.
Accordingly, my flight, and many others, were canceled and I
wound up spending a night in Baltimore.
My story begins the
next day. When I went to check in at the United counter Monday
morning I saw a lot of soldiers home from Iraq. Most were very
young and all had on their desert camouflage uniforms. This
was a change from earlier, when they had to buy civilian clothes in
Kuwait to fly home. It was a visible reminder that we are in a
war. It probably was pretty close to what train terminals were
like in World War II.
Many people were stopping the troops to
talk to them, asking them questions in the Starbucks line or just
saying "Welcome Home." In addition to all the flights that
had been canceled on Sunday, the weather was terrible in Baltimore
and the flights were backed up. So, there were a lot of unhappy
people in the terminal trying to get home, but nobody that I saw
gave the soldiers a bad time.
By the afternoon, one plane to
Denver had been delayed several hours. United personnel kept asking
for volunteers to give up their seats and take another flight.
They weren't getting many takers. Finally, a United
spokeswoman got on the PA and said this, "Folks. As you can see,
there are a lot of soldiers in the waiting area. They only
have 14 days of leave and we're trying to get them where they need
to go without spending any more time in an airport then they have
to. We sold them all tickets, knowing we would oversell the
flight. If we can, we want to get them all on this flight.
We want all the soldiers to know that we respect what you're
doing, we are here for you and we love you."
At that, the
entire terminal of cranky, tired, travel-weary people, a
cross-section of America, broke into sustained and heartfelt
applause. The soldiers looked surprised and very modest. Most
of them just looked at their boots. Many of us were wiping
away tears. And, yes, people lined up to take the later flight and
all the soldiers went to Denver on that flight.
That little
moment made me proud to be an American, and also told me why we will
win this war.
If you want to send my little story on to your
friends and family, feel free. This is not some urban legend.
I was there, I was part of it, I saw it happen.
Will
Ross
Administrative Judge
United States Department of Defense
 Please take a moment to show your appreciation to
the men and women of the U. S. military
who defend our freedom. The Department of
Defense has a special site where you may sign a thank you note that will
be sent to our
soldiers.
The History of
Memorial Day
In Memory
of our Honored Dead
How
to Support Our Troops
History Channel's Tribute to
Memorial Day
The official site of the Department of
Veteran Affairs.
Origins of
Veterans Day Veterans Day Proclamation
California
Department of Veterans Affairs
In 1918, on the eleventh hour of the
eleventh day in the eleventh month, the world rejoiced and
celebrated. After four years of bitter war, the Allied powers a
signed a cease-fire agreement (an armistice) with Germany at
Rethondes, France on November 11, 1918, bringing World War I to a
close. The "war to end all wars" was over.
 November 11, 1919
was set aside as Armistice Day in the United States, to remember the
sacrifices that men and women made during World War I in order to
ensure a lasting peace. On Armistice Day, soldiers who survived the
war marched in a parade through their home towns. Politicians and
veteran officers gave speeches and held ceremonies of thanks for the
peace they had won.
Armistice
Day officially received its name in the United States in 1926
through a Congressional resolution. It became a national holiday 12
years later. Congress voted Armistice Day a federal holiday in 1938,
20 years after the war ended. But Americans realized that the
previous war would not be the last one. World War II began the
following year and nations great and small again participated in a
bloody struggle. After the Second World War, Armistice Day continued
to be observed on November 11.
In 1953 townspeople in Emporia, Kansas called the
holiday Veterans' Day in gratitude to the veterans in their town.
Soon after, Congress passed a bill introduced by a Kansas
congressman renaming the federal holiday to Veterans' Day. Beginning
in 1954, the United States designated November 11 as Veterans Day to
honor veterans of all U.S. wars. 1971 President Nixon declared it a
federal holiday on the second Monday in November.
Americans still give thanks for
peace on Veterans' Day. There are ceremonies and speeches and at
11:00 in the morning, most Americans observe a moment of silence,
remembering those who fought for peace.  After the United States' involvement in
the Vietnam War, the emphasis on holiday activities has shifted.
There are fewer military parades and ceremonies. Veterans gather at
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. to place gifts and
stand quiet vigil at the names of their friends and relatives who
fell in the Vietnam War. Families who have lost sons and daughters
in wars turn their thoughts more toward peace and the avoidance of
future wars.
Veterans of military service have
organized support groups such as the American Legion and Veterans of
Foreign Wars. On Veterans' Day and Memorial Day, these groups raise
funds for their charitable activities by selling paper poppies made
by disabled veterans. This bright red wildflower became a symbol of
World War I after a bloody battle in a field of poppies called
Flanders Field in Belgium.
Arlington National Cemetery
Tarawa and
The Battle for
Tarawa
My Uncle Max DeBiaso
served in the Marines and fought at Tarawa in WWII.
At
89 it is still vivid to him.
My Uncle Ed Anderson,
deceased, served as an Army medic in the S. W. Pacific in
WWII.
My Uncle Roy DeBiaso,
deceased, served in the Navy in WWII
My Uncle Dominic DeBiaso,
deceased, served in the Army in WWII
My Uncle Dan DeBiaso,
deceased, served in the Marines in WWII
My Uncle Ed Sodergren,
deceased, served in the Air National Guard in
WWII
My Uncle Marvin Hallett
served in the special forces in the Seabee's and was
killed in the line of duty on the front lines in the
Battle of the Bulge in WWII
My cousin Bob Severson, deceased,
served in the Air Force for more than 25 years and fought in the
Korean Conflict and other campaigns.
My Aunt Vera Johnson,
deceased, served as a civilian worker for the Navy and was
stationed at Hickam Field in Honolulu, Hawaii when Pearl Harbor was
bombed by the Japanese on December 7, 1941 and remained there
throughout the war and for many years thereafter.
Hickam Field Hale Makai
Barracks
The 3,000-man Hale Makai Barracks,
near the main hangars at Hickam Field, endures intense
strafing.
"Uncle Sam wants you."
U.S. Army U.S. Navy U.S. Marines Corp
U.S. Air Force U.S. Coast Guard U.S. Merchant Marine
Academy
 
 
 
Veterans Day Resource Guide
Veterans
Organizations
World War I Memorial
National World
War II Memorial
Spanish-American War
Monument
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Korean War
Memorial
Civil War Memorial
Remember
a veteran with a greeting card or post card
Stay
connected at Military.com
V-J
Day, Times Square, New York, August 14, 1945
Click the image to see a nice tribute to our
Veterans
Blue Angels Tribute - researched by: Ms. Barbara
Jones
With gratitude, I
salute you all.
Ritch
Before you leave, please sign
my Guestbook.
Richard A.
DeBiaso
Richard's Promotional Products
(Formerly Business
Boosters)
3205 Whipple Road
Union City, CA
94587-1218
510-429-4803
Serving customers coast to coast since
1986
"I'm only an email away"
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