What is it

about America's veterans that brings us together on

Veterans Day? Are we living in the past - attempting

to capture a fleeting moment in time that has long since

passed? Certainly not!

What brings veterans

together for Veterans day is a bond formed in uniform. It

is the bond that is entwined within our hearts and minds,

which is simply stated: I shall not fail those with whom

I serve.

It has been more than a

quarter century since the guns fell silent in Vietnam.

Longer still for Korea - and nearly a lifetime for

World War II. Yet, that bond of military service, which

transcends the years, compels us to come together and

keep the faith with those with whom we served.

This final Veterans Day of

the 20th century will include observances with the

youngest generation of veterans, the men and women of the

Persian Gulf War. These are Americans who sacrificed for

others. These are Americans who continue to serve us in

uniform. These are Americans who will gather on many more

Veterans Days because they also feel that common bond.

As young American military

members spend this day deployed in Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq,

at sea and in distant remote locations, it is appropriate

for all of us as a nation to take the time to say,

"Thank you."

Ironically, this Veterans

Day comes on the heels of a disclosure by the Pentagon

that a drug given our troops might cause Gulf War

illness. It is tragic that it took nearly a decade to

make this discovery. Without a common bond between

veterans, compelling them to keep the pressure on the

government, there would have been no studies.

It is this common bond that

compels us to continue to struggle to find answers for

what is right and demand that our nation provide a strong

veterans health care system for those who gave so much

when called upon. As veterans we have kept our bond of

service to our nation. As veterans we ask that our

government keep faith with us.

That is why we gather on

this Veterans Day. That is why all Americans should

gather with veterans this day. For America's veterans are

a special group of men and women - bonded through

service, committed to the future.

[Alan G. Lance, Sr., is

the national commander of the 2.8-million-member American

Legion and the attorney general for Idaho.]

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