Bjcorbin's Blog

My 16 year old son is involved in the Corps of Cadets program at his high school, which is like a Junior ROTC program.  And he was picked to give a speech at the school’s annual Veteran’s Day assembly.  These are the words he’s chosen to say.

Veteran’s Day Speech

By Patrick Corbin

I’d personally like to welcome everyone to today’s Veterans Day program.  It’s a huge honor for me to represent our school, and the Corps. of Cadets, on this special occasion.  We are especially grateful for today’s honored guests, the men and women of our armed forces.  It is through their valor, and sacrifice, that we are able to gather here today.

I come from a family with a tradition of service to their country.  My Grandfather (Tom) was on active duty in the U.S. Air Force for 26 years.  His brother (Jim) was on active duty in the U.S. Marines for over 27 years.  Both were Vietnam War veterans.  Then my father and his brother joined the U.S. Navy together after high school.  My Dad spent 8 years on submarines, 4 years with the Seabees, and was a Persian Gulf War veteran.  My Uncle Kevin served for 6 years, and was on the aircraft carrier the USS Enterprise.  My cousin Ben was an Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan, and my cousin Nick was a Guardsman who served in Iraq.  I am proud to be a part of a family who believes in sacrificing for the good of others.  I think that we all should serve our families, our neighbors, and our country.  We have been blessed because all of our family members have returned home, but I think that we should give special honor to all of the families whose loved ones didn’t make it back.  We often make the rich and famous out to be heroes, but these veterans are the real heroes.  One day, I hope I can be a part of this family tradition by serving my country.

Today, I’ve been asked to give a brief history on the origins of Veteran’s Day.  The recognition of this day dates back to the end of World War I, when the “armistice” was signed on the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month (i.e. November 11^th, 1918).  A year later, the President declared a moment of silence on November 11^th, in remembrance of this event, and it went on to become an annual tradition.  In 1938, congress declared “Armistice Day” to be a legal holiday.  This tradition continued until after World War II, when a man named Raymond Weeks suggested that the day should honor all veterans, and not just those from the First World War.  In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law, and “Armistice Day” officially became “Veteran’s Day”.

Though I am grateful for this day of special recognition, I believe that it is important to understand that for many veterans the struggle goes on every day.  There are those who’ve suffered physical wounds that left their bodies broken, and there are those who’ve suffered wounds to their hearts and minds, that left their souls and spirits broken.  For them, the battle continues.  Sadly, even those without significant disabilities often struggle to find jobs, or to collect the benefits that they’ve earned.  This should not be so.  While I will gratefully join in with today’s celebration, we need to show our appreciation for Veterans by championing their causes throughout the year.  We need to demand more of our elected officials when it comes to protecting the rights of our service members.

As I told you previously, my grandfather and his brother were Vietnam War veterans, and I was sickened to hear stories of how those men and women were treated when they returned from the war.  Because of the politics at that time, people treated these veterans like villains.  Some were even spit on, and called, “Baby Killers”.  That is inexcusable!  No matter the war, no matter the reasons for it, no matter how popular it is at home, our soldiers should never be treated this way again.  These people willingly put their lives on the line for others, and will always be worthy of our gratitude and honor.

My Sergeant told me that Veteran’s Day is like Christmas for our armed forces; and that while they don’t receive presents, they do receive the gift of love and appreciation from their country.  My hope and prayer is that our veterans would experience that gift wherever they go today.  And my challenge to my fellow students, and those within our community, is to find a way to be a part of it.  I just did.  Thank you.