Speak Up: Response to Veterans Day question

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World War I ended at 11 a.m. Nov. 11, 1918, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. In 1938, that day was declared the national holiday Armistice Day, known in Europe as Remembrance Day. In 1954, it was proclaimed Veterans Day to include those who served in other wars. What do you do to honor the veterans in your family?

  • I wish I knew my grandfather as an adult, but he passed away. But one childhood memory I have of him is him teaching me how to fold the American flag. Every morning, he would put it out, and every night, he would bring it back in. Never in the rain and never let it touch the ground. It was amazing how much respect that generation had for this country because they fought with their lives to preserve the freedoms that we have now. That, so sadly, we take for granted. — Sarah Smith
  • My great-grandfather told me to use it as a day to relax. So that’s what I do. Man was ashamed of having been in the military, so he wanted us to remember him for who he was as a person, not for the thing he regretted most in his life. — Jaden Blondin
  • Do you know why he was ashamed? — Sarah Smith
  • The best way I could put it was bystander’s guilt. He felt he served an organization that harmed more people than it helped. My great-grandfather fought in both World War II and Vietnam. — Jaden Blondin
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