Reflecting on Veterans Day

Two Wednesdays ago, we celebrated the sacrifice of many brave American men and women with a break from hard work and schooling. Oh the irony never ends. The irony continues when we think that many veterans are members of the working class and they don’t receive the same break that many of us enjoyed on their day.

Few of us know the history of the day we take for granted; its history began in 1919 under president Woodrow Wilson. Wilson felt that we should honor those who fought in “The Great War,” which is what World War I was known as at the time.

The holiday was originally coined Armistice Day taking effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. When they first envisioned what the day was to become they imagined a day for Americans to reflect on the sacrifices made by their brothers and sisters.

It wasn’t until 1945 that the day was expanded to include all members of the armed forces. Just after the Second Great War's end, a Navy veteran, Raymond Weeks, tried pitching the thought to head commander and chief of the European theatre, General Eisenhower. It wasn’t until 1947 that the first Veterans Day was organized in Week’s home state of Alabama.

After World War II and the Korean War the idea to amend the holiday spread like wildfire among civilians and the newly created veteran populous alike. A year after Eisenhower took office he changed the holiday to officially be Veterans Day in 1954.

Here in Blue ash our city celebrates the holiday with a Veterans Day program at the Blue Ash Bicentennial Veterans' Memorial Park that began at 10 am. The city event had veteran guest speakers as well as a picnic lunch that followed.

Downtown the city of Cincinnati hosted a few celebratory events at the Main branch of the Public Library. The city hosted vets from World War II throughout the day in their two programs Veteran Ancestors and Surviving World War II.

Today we pair our reflection with parades and festivities to honor our veterans, but the intent is still in our hearts and minds. A few local businesses’ that offered Veterans Day deal’s this year and annually include BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, Longhorn Steakhouse, Chili’s, and countless others. The Newport Aquarium offers free entry to vets annually on November 11^th, this is one of many great examples of the community trying to give back to these brave men and women.

Many establishments try and give back with Veterans Day deals and discounts to honor our Veterans. Free meals are just a small way to repay the innumerable debt we have to these individuals.