Veterans Day

Note: I have been more than a little bit lazy in posting blogs lately, so until creativity finds me again, I thought I would share this one, published a year ago, which would seem to be more than appropriate on this special holiday.

Towards the end of World War II, somewhere in the Pacific Theater of the war, a young member of the United States Navy, William Samuel Hamilton was serving his country. Both of his brothers were also seeing active duty. The brothers both returned home safely. William, tragically did not, as he was killed in action in 1945.

The Hamilton brothers were just three of the approximately 11 million Americans who served during that war, and William was one of the more than 450,000 who perished. As a tribute to her uncle, my mother, seventeen years later named me after him.

My grandmother used to proudly tell me about how all three of her brothers served. A tough woman, she was nonetheless often brought to tears when talking about her little brother who was killed. A picture of William, in his Navy blue in a classic looking gold oval frame hung in her living room until the day she died in 1985. Since then, it has proudly been displayed on the walls of his namesake.

There was a time when honoring our veterans such as this was a common occurrence. Enlisting in the service after Pearl Harbor was not only an honor, but to many, their duty. If a war could be described as popular, it was this one. As such, the returning veterans were given the respect they deserved.

Then, disturbingly in the early 1970's, such homage fell out of favor. The reason was the soldiers were now returning from an unpopular war, the one fought in Vietnam. The one Walter Cronkite (quite correctly) declared we could not win. The one for which its participants did not want to enlist. The one which generated protests, and caused battles between generations.

No, these veterans were not embraced upon their return. Our country, not in its finest moment, shunned the Vietnam vets, seemingly blaming them for the problems the war caused.

This was certainly not in the spirit in which Veterans Day was first conceived. When on the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month in 1918 that other World War ended, a holiday soon sprung up to commemorate it. A year later, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the holiday, then called Armistice Day, “for those who died in the country's service, and with gratitude for the victory.”

In 1945, the holiday's meaning was loosened a bit to honor all those who had served. In 1954, with World War II, and Korea (the Forgotten War) in the rear view mirror, Armistice Day became Veterans Day. But, given its “11th” roots, it remains the rare holiday which is not recognized on the closest Monday. As such, November 11^th is almost a recognized as July 4^th.

But, again, the years immediately following the Fall Of Saigon were not kind to our veterans. Thankfully, things began to change. While many disagreed with the wars fought in the Persian Gulf, and Afghanistan, their displeasure was now directed at the government, not with those who served. And, as those men and women returned from battle with much more appropriate gratitude from their country, the mood also changed about those who served in Korea and Vietnam.

This even includes once again naming structures for the vets. While there are “Veterans Memorial” highways and stadiums all over the country, most of these were named a half century ago. It would not have been popular in the mid 1970's, however to name anything in honor of those who served. This has now thankfully changed.

Locally, we saw this just a few weeks ago with the Route 9P bridge over Saratoga Lake. Gene Corsale, a Korean War vet, had tried a few times to have bridges named in honor of veterans, but had been unsuccessful. His efforts this time hit the jackpot, though. Those now driving over the lake will do so via the Saratoga County Veterans Memorial Bridge. A seemingly small gesture to honor a large group. To whom we owe an even larger debt.

And, since Gene, being a veteran himself, could speak with much more authority than I on the subject, I will close this column with his own words, first published just about a year ago:

“God bless our veterans. God bless them and watch over our service women and men.”