Veterans Day, a National U.S. holiday that occurs yearly on November 11th, is a day to be grateful for the service of all American veterans. The day is spelled without an apostrophe, and here is why, according to ttps://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetday_faq.asp
Veterans Day does not include an apostrophe but does include an "s" at the end of "veterans" because it is not a day that "belongs" to veterans, it is a day for honoring all veterans.
Like probably all of you, I am thankful for all my family members and friends who are veterans. My dad served in the Army Air Corps during WW II. He served part of the time in Italy as an air traffic controller. As a consequence of trying to understand his own war experiences, he read, over and over again, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer.
My uncle also served in the Army during WW II and was awarded a Purple Heart (presented to service members who have been wounded or killed as a result of enemy action). He stored his medal in an old tin box along with some faded photographs, old letters, and a creased copy of the old poem “Me Mudder” (unknown author). Sometimes, my cousin (his daughter) and I would pull the tin box out from under the bed and look at the silly poem.
My nephew served in the Navy, as did my cousin’s son. My other nephew is still serving in the Marines. My niece’s husband also served in the Marines. My brother’s father-in-law served in the Coast Guard. As his father-in-law’s guest, my brother was allowed to visit Governor’s Island in NYC before it opened to the public in 2005.
This year on November 6, 2023, I am privileged to sing a medley of patriot songs at the Norman Veterans Center with the Norman Singers. This choir sings there once a year on the nearest Monday to Veterans Day. Our choir teacher served in the military, so she has a special heart for veterans.
Before we sing a medley of all the armed forces theme songs, the choir teacher always invites the members of each force to stand, if possible, or raise their hands to indicate their branch as the anthem for that branch is sung. Every year, veterans proudly stand when they hear the music of their branch. Some veterans who could easily just wave struggle to stand, but they still do so. And every year, this brings tears to my eyes when this happens, so much so that I cannot continue to sing. These brave men and women suffered the scars of war for our American freedoms, and they are still willing to suffer to show their support for our country.
I am also privileged to sing with The Notables at the Norman Veterans Center on Saturday, November 11, 2023. We will sing patriotic songs, as well as a few popular songs from the 1960s. We want to show the veterans that we appreciate them, and we hope to put a smile on their faces. Of course, I’ll probably cry during this performance, too.
The tears are always tears of gratitude, tears of joy, tears of honoring the veterans who gave so much so that we could be free. Still, I plan to stand in the back row. These vets went to war for us, and I don’t even have the fortitude to make it through all the songs. To all U.S. vets, I am so thankful for your service!
This Veterans Day, please be sure to take the time to thank any veterans you know for their service. Go here for a list of restaurants that serve veterans for free on November 11th: https://www.military.com/veterans-day/restaurants-veterans-day-military-discounts.html. God bless the USA!
So glad you can sing in honor of the Veterans, Lisbeth. What a privilege! I wish I had an opportunity like that. On Saturday, November 11, Veterans Day, I will be speaking at our local library here in Colorado Springs, giving a presentation, "Patriotism in America, Past and Present" in conjunction with my book about my dad in WWII, Unintended Hero. I'm excited for this opportunity. My presentation is not to sell books, rather it's to honor our past and present veterans and their love of country. I hope I can do them justice!