Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, November 11, 1994 TAG: 9411160087
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A15 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NICOLE KINSER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Before we inaugurated our first president or ratified the Constitution - even before we wrote the Declaration of Independence, making us a country - we counted on our soldiers to defend American liberty.
On every Veterans Day, we remember our 116,000 American "doughboys" who died on the World War I battlefields of Europe. Veterans Day, first called Armistice Day, was conceived as a tribute to the Americans who gave their lives in that war. But no less do we honor all American veterans who have served in every war, before and after World War I, to defend democracy.
We honor our veterans from times of peace as well, for they protected - and still protect - the democracy for which our war veterans fought and died. Though their mission is to fight and win wars, they also provide emergency relief and humanitarian aid in the United States and throughout the world.
We honor all of our veterans, but this Veterans Day of 1994 is an appropriate time to pay special tribute to American veterans of World War II.
This is the fourth year of our country's commemoration of the 50th anniversary of World War II. Today, about 9 million American veterans of that war remain alive - more than half of those who served. This is our last opportunity to involve so many in a major commemoration.
In 1941, when the Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor hurled us into World War II, we mustered more than 16.5 million Americans to battle on many fronts. We lost 400,000.
Our loss was tragic, but necessary. How different the world would be today if our nation had not mobilized, had not sent its sons and daughters across two oceans to help defeat the Axis powers - Germany, Italy and Japan - in their pursuit of world conquest.
Some of you remember the events of 1944 because you fought in World War II. Some of you lived through the war years as friends or family of veterans. Some of you may have been too young to remember a father, an older brother, an uncle who never returned from the battles of that war. And with each passing year, more and more of us who pay tribute to America's veterans will have been born years after World War II.
Whatever our age or memory of that war, we have good reasons to honor our World War II veterans. This 50th-anniversary commemoration can help us learn what those reasons are. It can help us reaffirm the answers to some important questions: Who are these veterans we honor today? What do they look like? Where do they come from?
Our veterans are the embodiment of America itself. They are the composite of our nation and all that has made it great.
American veterans of World War II, like those who served before and after them, represent all races and ethnic groups. They are men and they are women. They are of every creed and belief, and they fit every physical description. They are your neighbor next door, the merchant at the mall, and the police officer on the corner. They are a third of the 27 million Americans living today who have proudly worn their country's military uniform. The buddies they lost in battle are nearly half of the million who have died defending America throughout its history.
Some of our veterans are acclaimed heroes. Most are just ordinary citizens who answered the call to duty when it came. They postponed their private lives, their peaceful pursuits of farm, factory and office. They poured their talents and energy into becoming soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. Often, the call to duty led them to war's hardship, danger and death.
The tradition of the World War II veteran is the tradition of all American veterans. From Lexington and Concord, that tradition has sustained us in every battle and every war, right through Operation Desert Storm. It has marched with us and stood vigil with us in the frozen camps of Valley Forge, the steaming jungles of the Pacific rim, the bloody beaches of Normandy and the scorching sands of Saudi Arabia. In that tradition, young, inexperienced Americans become tough, experienced soldiers. They become veterans.
Our war veterans often have returned home to marching bands, colorful parades and an admiring public. That was the case after the world wars, and it was surely the case after victory in the Persia Gulf. The nation lavished heartfelt thanks upon its returning veterans, both for their victory and their sacrifice.
Unfortunately, that hasn't always been the case. For those who fought in Korea or Vietnam, there were few bands and fewer parades. On returning home, veterans often faced indifference from their countrymen. Sometimes, they faced outright hostility. But their sacrifice and their suffering were no less than the sacrifice and suffering of any other veterans who fought for their country. We owe them all our gratitude.
No matter where or when our veterans served, they always have served with distinction.
In honoring American veterans of World War II, we honor all American veterans. They were, and are, made of the same stuff; they were, and are, passionate in their patriotism and love of liberty.
Look around you. Who are the veterans of World War I? Who are the veterans of World War II? Who are the veterans of Korea? Of Vietnam? Of the Persian Gulf? Perhaps you can tell the difference by the wrinkles on some faces and the smooth skin on others. Perhaps you can tell the difference by the medals they wear. But you cannot tell the difference by their devotion to duty and their love of country. There is no difference.
Look into their eyes. Whatever war they served in, you see a tear for fallen comrades, and you see hope for lasting peace. Let us look into their eyes and say to our veterans, we are a grateful nation. We remember.
I personally would like to thank my father, Gary, a veteran of the Vietnam conflict. Thank you, Dad, for the gift of freedom that you helped to preserve for future generations ... like mine.
Nicole Kinser is public affairs officer for the Radford Army Ammunition Plant.
by CNB