veterans day

Veterans Day

So today is Veterans Day, and sadly I am blogging this day after school because Warren County doesn't feel the need to give its students a holiday for what should be one of the most important non-religious holidays of the year. Why is Veterans Day so important, you ask? What makes it more special than, say, Memorial Day or the 4th of July? My answer is fairly simple, its one word, and its:

PEACE.

As most of you probably know, Veterans Day (11 November) is descended from the earlier Armistice Day (which underwent a name change after World War II), which signified the end of fighting on the western front in World War I. The Great War, as it is also known - especially in Europe - was the first modern conflagration Europe had ever experienced, and the first struggle between nations on a truly global scale. Modern warfare, instead of producing the rapid victories as many prognosticators forecasted, actually produced protracted, meaningless, and horribly destructive warfare when new technology was placed in the hands of 19th century-oriented generals. Millions upon millions died of the war and its after-effects. It was truly horrible, scarring, and set the tone for a century where might was too often conflated with right. Not to say that previous centuries hadn't seen their fair share of bloodshed, but the 20th saw it brought about with cold calculation and ruthless efficiency.

But what does this have to do with Veterans Day, and why students should have the day off of school for it?

Here is my thinking:

Too often days that used to have significance in times of or just after great struggle lose their impact to a generation of relatively coddled and insolent youth. In the interests of blog-integrity, I must include myself in this generation. Although our nation is definitely at war, the military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan pale in comparison to the mobilizations this country has gone through in the past. Needless to say, that these are two ongoing conflicts that are not as high on the national conscience as our World Wars, or even Vietnam, a war to which our current situation is too often compared. Point is, students these days really have no idea what it was like to be alive in times of war like this, what kind of sacrifices everyone had to make, the heartache of having a whole generation wiped out or severely crippled due to war. That ignorance isn't all that bad, either: I bet most people who fought in those wars and lived through those times wouldn't wish it on any other generation. Students, and everyone for that matter, should not be totally ignorant of that hardship. They should know and have a somber reminder of all the pain and struggle each and every Veterans Day. Each year it should serve as a reminder of the bravery of those who serve, and of the undesirable nature of war as a means to resolve conflict between nations. Otherwise, Veterans Day becomes an empty "Hallmark Holiday" where people go through the motions while failing to grasp the significance of what the day actually means. If Veterans Day were taken more seriously, and if everyone learned from a young age what it all meant or should mean...

- Would leaders be as eager to engage in war if their people were fully aware of all the hardship and pain that it entails?
- Would those with few educational options be as intrigued by joining the service if they knew fully what being in a battle is like?
- Would we all demand that our veterans be treated with more care from the government that sent them out to fight if we knew better what they have sacrificed?
- Would more peaceful means be sought to resolve differences between all nations?

I usually don't like to be too serious, and I'm afraid that this post lacks most of the snark present in my average post, but I feel pretty strongly about this day and how it is presented to students. Maybe its because I work in a school. Maybe its because I am a history person and am fascinated by how important World War I was to our current history, or maybe even because I am encouraged by the new serious and thoughtful nature that our incoming presidential administration will bring to this country. I really can't tell for sure. What I do know is this: if someday, god willing, I am an old man high school history teacher, I will be sure to take this day to educate my students on how meaningful it truly is.