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Monday, November 5, 2007


Veteran's Day is hallowed for all those who have worn the uniform

 

By Gordon Garnos

 

AT ISSUE: In just a few days South Dakotans as well as most Americans will observe Veterans Day and recall the sobering numbers that underscore this hallowed occasion. It will also be the time to reflect on the historical significance that has brought this day about.

 

FROM THE AMERICAN Revolution through the current fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the longest period in which our country has been at peace has lasted only three decades. And the price that American men and women have paid--for 231 years--to keep our nation free and safeguard our way of life is staggering.

 

Steven D. Westerfeld, communications specialist for the Veterans Administration, has provided statistics that cover the period from 1775 through this year. The numbers include:

 

  • More than 650,000 battle deaths.

  • Nearly 1.5 million wounded.

  • More than 43 million having served in our armed forces. That includes nearly 1.4 million now in uniform.

ALL OF THE ABOVE cover the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, the two world wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War and today's fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

In addition to the men and women on active duty today, there are nearly 24 million living veterans who have served during periods of both war and peace.

 

TOM BROKOW, a former South Dakotan, termed those who fought during World War II as "the greatest generation." Sadly, they are a rapidly disappearing group of veterans. While there are about 3.2 million of them who are alive, they are aging fast and leaving us at a rate of 1,000 to 1,200 a day. At some point within the next few decades, their numbers will be as few as today's very few veterans who viewed the First World War.

 

Today, those American service men and women who remain in faraway places, including our very own South Dakota friends and relatives, where their lives are on the line every day deserve the strongest possible support that we at home can give them. Especially, on this Veterans Day next Monday the central purpose should be to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our great nation.

 

We must also reflect on the great sacrifices made by the families of those now serving or have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

SADLY, OUR NATION remains divided as the war in Iraq is in its fifth year. But that is an issue that can be solved only through our country's time-tested political process. But the day will come when the bulk of the U.S. military will leave the Middle East and Afghanistan.

 

Meanwhile, the stakes in America's involvement in the war against terrorism are extraordinarily high and decisions regarding withdrawal must be made carefully and objectively.

 

We will welcome the time when the job in Iraq and Afghanistan will be done and American men and women in uniform are able to come home to observe future Veterans Days with their loved ones.

 

ARE THE VETERANS' organizations in your home town planning a Veterans Day observance and, most importantly, are you going to be one of those sitting in the audience?.....


 

Gordon Garnos was long-time editor of the Watertown Public Opinion and recently retired after 39 years with that newspaper.  Garnos, a lifelong resident of South Dakota except for his military service in the U.S. Air Force, was born and raised in Presho.

 

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