Monday passed with little fanfare on Grounds. As it was for the majority of the nation, Monday was just another groggy, wet day to begin another ordinary week of classes, studying and work. A few lucky grade school kids may have gotten out of classes; most people probably noticed there was no mail in their box and that the banks were closed. Many never noticed the date, though,and never thought of its significance. Next year needs to be different. No longer should Veteran's Day be allowed to pass into oblivion with little thought given to the meaning of the holiday or to the substantial impact and sacrifices made by the people it honors.
Nov. 11 is the anniversary of two things. Eighty-three years ago Monday, World War I, the "war to end all wars," ended. Forty-eight years ago, Veteran's Day was officially created out of the former Nov. 11 holiday Armistice Day. The purpose of Veteran's Day is to honor all veterans of U.S. wars.
In a nation embattled in the War on Terror and facing a possible second Gulf War, Veteran's Day should have a significant meaning in Americans' lives. The nation should be bending over backwards to honor, thank and remember those who risked everything to ensure the America they loved would live on.
It is because of veterans that all other holidays are even possible. Our liberty, our rights, our history were all won, protected and preserved for all Americans by our military veterans. But the nation treats Veteran's Day like any other excuse for a three-day weekend -- with little seriousness and no real respect.
The commercialization of Veteran's Day began in 1968 when the Uniforms Holiday Bill was passed. The bill declared Veteran's Day a federal holiday to be held every second Monday in November. It was intended to "ensure three-day weekends for Federal employees" (www.va.gov/vetsday). Every second Monday in November -- that has real meaning. The day of observance for the millions who have fought for this great nation was moved from its original, meaningful date -- the end of World War I -- to a trivial, random day in order to ensure Americans got a three-day weekend. Everyone knows a holiday isn't a holiday without a three-day weekend. It's doubtful that anyone would actually take note of Memorial Day or Labor Day if not for the big holiday weekends that accompany them.
Responding to an outcry from concerned vets, Veteran's Day was officially moved back to Nov. 11 in 1978. But it was too late; the damage had been done. Veteran's Day had already been trivialized in the mind of Americans and has not fully recovered from the switch.
The commercialization, or disgrace, of Veteran's Day didn't end in 1968. The subsequent years saw blowout department store sales and cheesy greeting cards exploiting the holiday more and more often. Television spots commercializing the holiday and online pop-ups advertising e-cards for Veteran's Day are common nowadays. Ads thanking vets are rare. How about every second Monday in November, instead of honoring our vets, we celebrate Hallmark? No one can say "Thanks for leaving your family to fight on a distant shore, watching your friends die in your arms, and losing a leg so I could have this Monday off," quite like Hallmark.
The fate of Veteran's Day, though, is quite like that of every other federal holiday. Christmas is no longer the celebration of Christ's birthday, but a holiday of Santa and presents. The Fourth of July worships barbecues and fireworks and Thanksgiving gives thanks only to the gods of football and overindulgence.
There may still be hope for Veteran's Day. With just a few small changes it can be saved from spending an eternity in the never-ending abyss of Hallmark holidays.
Greeting card companies should stop selling Veteran's Day cards and consumers should stop buying them. Veteran's Day is not about wishing your distant relatives well, as the majority of cards do. It is a day of observance, honor and remembrance that cannot be captured in a $1.29 piece of folded cardboard, even if your intentions are to thank a vet.
Most importantly, however, the real key to changing Veteran's Day is in each individual person. All Americans should use Nov. 11 to take stock of all that they have and all the freedoms they enjoy, as well as to remember why they have said liberties.
Over 1,000 American World War II veterans alone die each day ("Losing the 'Greatest Generation,'" The Washington Post, Nov. 11). Take the chance, while it is still available, to hear their stories and pay homage to the sacrifices they made.
Homage, that's what Veteran's Day should really be about. Americans should set aside their daily affairs and gather -- at parades, cemeteries, public demonstrations, nursing homes and V.A. hospitals -- and together say, "We know what you did, we thank you for that, and we will never forget." Every member of our armed services, current, retired or deceased, should be thanked and revered. Without them, this country would be nothing. We would still face an unfazed, unhurt al Qaeda, still face Nazi tyranny and murder across the sea, still be part of the British empire.
Our current idea of Veteran's Day denies and forgets the sacrifices that American veterans have made. And to deny these sacrifices is to dishonor the memory of those who have fought. Hopefully, next year the sacrifices and commitment of our veterans won't be so easily dismissed.
(Maggie Bowden's column appears
Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at mbowden@cavalierdaily.com.)
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