Veterans Recall the Original Intent of November 11th
In over 50 major cities and small towns, members of Veterans For Peace gathered across the nation to celebrate the original Armistice Day as was done at the end of World War I, when the world came together in realization that war is so horrible, we must end it now. They are reclaiming the original intention of that day with a worldwide call for peace in the face of the rising tide of global violence and war.
In their recent statement concerning November 11th, celebrated as Veterans Day and current U.S war policy, the group urges its members – this Armistice Day – to take a stand for peace, and the ask friends and allies to join them.
Many U.S citizens are unaware of the original meaning behind Armistice Day. After World War II, the U.S. Congress decided to re-brand November 11th as Veterans Day. But honoring the warrior quickly morphed into honoring the military and glorifying war. Armistice Day was flipped from a to celebrate wars ending into a day for displays of militarism.
“When most people think of Veterans Day they don’t think about peace and ending war,” commented Michael McPhearson, National Executive Director of Veterans For Peace. “The day has become a time to for parades, flag waving and shopping. The celebration is hollow. Twenty-two veterans die each day to suicide. Many veterans are homeless and awaiting much needed healthcare. Others are struggling to find jobs. The best thing to do for veterans is to address these issues throughout the year and push our government to end our global wars.”
This Armistice Day, Veterans For Peace calls on the U.S. public to say no to more war and to demand justice and peace, at home and abroad. We call for the end to racist policies, and for equality for all people.
Veterans For Peace is a 30 year old national organization of men and women of all eras and duty stations, including World War II, the Korean, Vietnam, Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars, as well as other conflicts. Veterans For Peace is dedicated to building a culture of peace, exposing the true costs of war, and supporting veterans and civilian victims of war. For more information, visit www.veteransforpeace.org.
The marketing wizards of war have diddled military holidays to enhance our sense of loyalty and patriotism to the God of War. What was once a celebration of peace at the end of World War One, Armistice Day, has now morphed into Veterans Day, a celebration of war and warriors. Memorial Day was and still is a holiday to honor the fallen yet is indistinguishable in spirit from our Veterans Day glorification of the those same wars and warriors. Even our Fourth of July holiday celebrating the creation of the profoundly brilliant document, The Declaration of Independence, has become a generic celebration of US military might ignoring the powerful intellects and statesmen that created the foundation of our fading “representative” government.
We have become what Dwight D.Eisenhower warned us about fifty-five years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw02WwiUD8Q
16 years old when I went to the war,
To fight for a land fit for heroes,
God on my side, and a gun in my hand,
Chasing my days down to zero,
And I marched and I fought and I bled and I died,
And I never did get any older,
But I knew at the time that a year in the line,
Is a long enough life for a soldier,
We all volunteered, and we wrote down our names,
And we added two years to our ages,
Eager for life and ahead of the game,
Ready for history’s pages,
And we brawled and we fought and we whored ’til we stood,
Ten thousand shoulder to shoulder,
A thirst for the Hun, we were food for the gun,
And that’s what you are when you’re soldiers,
I heard my friend cry, and he sank to his knees,
Coughing blood as he screamed for his mother,
And I fell by his side, and that’s how we died,
Clinging like kids to each other,
And I lay in the mud and the guts and the blood,
And I wept as his body grew colder,
And I called for my mother and she never came,
Though it wasn’t my fault and I wasn’t to blame,
The day not half over and ten thousand slain,
And now there’s nobody remembers our names,
And that’s how it is for a soldier.
Veterans for Peace, I could say this is the most important article I’ve ever read in this publication. Just the other day our ignorant species fell, once again, for just the same drivel you talk about in this posting. I was passing by the ceremonies for the recently debuted Vietnam Memorial in Bayview Park and could not help but think that if this memorial had been dedicated to the 27 Key Westers who died NEEDLESSLY in Vietnam, it would be worth something. But no … the usual garbage about our freedom and such took center stage. What a shame, mostly for those poor soldiers, but for the rest of us as well. Thanks again for this necessary article, Jerome