Each year we look at our calendars and there is a special notation marking the celebration of Veteran’s Day – November 11th. Typically when we think of a celebration it is for a defined time not something that goes on without end. It’s your birthday and when that special day passes, it is no longer your birthday until the next year rolls around.
It seems that we treat Veteran’s the same way as an annual thought. We get ready with the fanfare and decorations and celebrations in the nation’s capital and all over the country congratulating those individuals who have served in the armed forces. There are parades and the President of the United States lays a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. But what happens when the confetti, the balloons and the lights are gone and the marching bands stop marching, hang up their uniforms and go back to their normal lives? What happens to the Veterans? Where are they and who are they without the celebration?
The Veterans are the brave men and women who have paid the ultimate price by sacrificing their lives to keep the rest of us safe. Those who serve in the armed forces go into areas bravely and willingly where most of us would never go. While we want the balloons and all the fanfare on November 11th, we want the recognition, the support and the investment in our military every day. Honoring our Vets is not just a day of celebration set aside for one day – but a commitment to the Vets of this nation that must be ongoing.
We are proud of the men and women who serve this nation in uniform as a part of the armed forces. We honor them and salute them every day. We respect these brave men and women for the sacrifices made. We should stand behind Veterans the same way they stand out in front of us – on the front lines – as shields against battle and deadly harm. I am in awe of what these special human beings do for their country. We see battles fought that are now played out in the media of horrific warfare and destruction taking place in other countries almost common plan. We see wounded-men, women and children – blood soaked from the ravages of war and yet for the most part, few of us have ever bore witness to such atrocities on American soil.
This Veteran’s Day should be a call to remembrance that our debt to our Veterans is much too big to be compacted into one day. They went into battle be it war or peace. The hardest  battle was that they had to leave family and loved ones behind and travel to unknown lands, putting  up a brave front so as not to further wound the hearts of those they left behind. Veterans are much too important and valued to simply fit into November 11th.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
Dianna Tafazoli
