Veteran’s Day; Celebration or Solemn?

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2021 Blog Number 46

November 15, 2021

Veteran’s Day; Celebration or Solemn?

During this past week, all over Facebook I have been watching posts that wish people a “happy Veterans Day. The sentiment is nice but too many veterans have suffered too much for this to be a “happy day.” Too many of our veterans have physical and mental wounds some of which will never heal. This is a day to thank veterans but it does not seem like any event that should be “celebrated.” The word “celebrate” seems to me as if it implies a party.

Fortunately, many of our veterans did not return from deployment scarred mentally or physically. Nevertheless, their deployments interrupted their lives as well as the lives of their families. Soldiers when away to other places miss out on important events in the lives of children. Most of us simply take these times with our children for granted. Our veterans, and active-duty personnel give up on a lot of things as they serve our country.

My daughters are now in their thirties. I remember fondly attending their births. The memories of those births are embedded in my mind. Many of our soldiers have no such memories. My son-in-law missed the birth of his son, my grandson because the army would not grant him leave from an overseas deployment. I will never forget the joy on his face when he returned and got to see his little boy for the first time. I was thrilled with the joy of that day but regret that he had to give up the joy of seeing the little boy born.

Yes, Veterans and Active-duty troops need our thanks, respect, and support. I am grateful for their service to our nation. I am also thankful to the families who sacrifice a great deal while their soldiers are away. Veteran’s Day must remain an important day for us but it must never be a day of happiness. It must be a solemn day of Thanksgiving to those who have given so much for us.

Veterans, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. God bless you. Let me know how I can express my thanks to you.

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