Veterans Day is just a few days away. While Memorial Day calls to remembrance the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen who died in the service of their country, Veterans Day commemorates all military veterans. A generation or two past, to be a veteran was a thing expected.
Because of the military draft, a large number of American men put in their two years or more of service to the country. In my own neighborhood, only two young men did not go to the military. One had a heart condition; the other was responsible for the care of his mother who was suffering from cancer. Everyone else either enlisted or was drafted.
The volunteer military changed all of that. Now, to be in the military, one has to pursue, apply, and be tested. Only then may one be admitted to the ranks.
Whether drafted or enlisted, the nation honors and appreciates those who serve or have served. It wasn’t always so, of course. Vietnam veterans, having served honorably, returned to a country where many veterans were reviled. True appreciation for their service and sacrifice would come only decades later.
Most military men and women are not warriors in the truest sense of the word. One definition of a warrior is “a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class or caste.”
There are, of course “true warriors” within the military (the SEALs, Rangers, Marine Recon, and Army Rangers, among others, come to mind) but most who are called into combat are those normal people who, when called upon, rise to the occasion of being a warrior and, then, when the battle or the war is over, go back to being their normal selves.
Still, it takes a mindset of sacrifice, dedication, and service to become a member of the nation’s military forces. There is always the very real possibility that any member of the military at any time can find themselves in harm’s way.
When I was in boot camp, we were told that, during the Korean War, a Marine Corps command post was overrun by the communists. The only Marines on duty at the time were cooks and clerk/typists. These men grabbed rifles and engaged the enemy in combat, ultimately repelling them.
From this, we were told, came the phrase, “every Marine a rifleman,” and the addition of crossed rifles to the rank symbols of enlisted men. I cannot verify this account, but the story does illustrate that all military people may find themselves embroiled in life and death situations.
During the past several years, there has been a new trend in America. It is now not uncommon for a person to see a veteran (perhaps wearing a military hat or T-shirt) go up to him or her and say, “Thank you for your service.” The first few times it happened to me, I was caught off-guard and mumbled some reply of appreciation.
Now, I have a standard reply. It is simply to smile and say, “Thank you. It was my honor to serve.” And I think that is how most veterans feel. It was an honor to serve.
So, on Veterans Day, thank a few veterans for their service. Whatever they did and wherever they served, they are proud of their country and their service. We are the Land of the Free because of the brave.
[David Epps is the pastor of the Cathedral of Christ the King, Sharpsburg, GA (www.ctkcec.org) which meets Sundays at 8:30 and 10 a.m. He is the bishop of the Mid-South Diocese which consists of Georgia and Tennessee (www.midsouthdiocese.org) and the Associate Endorser for the Department of the Armed Forces, U. S. Military Chaplains, ICCEC. He may contacted at frepps@ctkcec.org.]
