It is an honor to be here to celebrate and thank our Veterans.
As you know, Veterans Day was originally Armistice Day which fell on November 11, 1918, marking the end of World War I. Congress changed the name to Veterans Day in 1954 as a tribute to all those who have served past and present in our military. And so today we show our patriotic spirit and honor America’s 25 million veterans and say thank you for their role in protecting the liberties that too many of us take for granted.
I think it is fitting that Veterans Day falls on a Sunday and that this tribute to veterans is taking place in a church. In houses of worship all across this nation, people of faith are pausing to reflect on the service of veterans while expressing gratitude to God for his blessings on this great nation.
Our veterans have protected a nation whose founding fathers very much believed that God plays a role in our nation’s health.
One only has to recall our nation’s motto –
In God we trust
or our statement of unity in the Pledge of Allegiance –
One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
or the best known sentence in the Declaration of Independence…
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…
These phrases all speak to this nation’s spiritual foundations. And as we honor veterans, we pray that God will watch over those who are committed to ensuring that this nation will endure…the soldiers… sailors… airmen…Marines… those in the Coast Guard… National Guard… Reserves… all who have served or serve us today, protecting our freedoms.
Veterans Day is the time we celebrate the actions of ordinary people who do extraordinary things. At other times, when we think about military service, there is a tendency to associate our thoughts with the heroes and leaders…those whose names flash across the pages of history books and in the movies that have become American classics.
On Veterans Day, we salute the unknown legions of men and women who stood behind our heroes and leaders, making it possible for their names to go down in history.
When I think of these veterans, I think of Ernie Pyle…the columnist in that pre-television age who helped Americans identify with the GIs who were fighting in World War II.
The author John Steinbeck, who was Ernie Pyle’s friend, once wrote….
There are really two wars and they haven’t much to do with each other. There is the war of maps and logistics, of campaigns, of ballistics, armies, divisions and regiments – and that is General George Marshall’s war.
Then there is the war of the homesick, weary, funny, violent common men who wash their socks in their helmets, complain about the food, whistle at girls and bring themselves through as dirty a business as the world has ever seen…and do it with humor and dignity and courage…and that is Ernie Pyle’s war.
Then there is the war of the homesick, weary, funny, violent common men who wash their socks in their helmets, complain about the food, whistle at girls and bring themselves through as dirty a business as the world has ever seen…and do it with humor and dignity and courage…and that is Ernie Pyle’s war.
Ernie Pyle wrote about the actions of ordinary GIs who did extraordinary things just because of their commitment, courage and perseverance. He was one of the first embedded reporters. And his keen observations about how these ordinary soldiers did their duty under duress painted a picture of service and sacrifice that made Americans back home both grateful and proud.
When he was following the troops in North Africa in February of 1943 as they were moving out in the middle of the night in bitter cold weather, he made these observations that describe the plight of all veterans at one time or another.
I believe in wartime your physical discomfort becomes a more dominant thing in your life than the danger you are in.
The danger comes in spurts. The discomfort is perpetual.
You are always cold and almost always dirty. Outside of food and cigarettes, you have absolutely none of the little things that make life normal back home.
You don’t have chairs, lights, floors or tables. You don’t have any place to set anything or a store to buy things from. There are no newspapers, milk, beds, sheets, radiators, beer, ice cream or hot water. You just sort of exist…either standing up working or lying down asleep. There is no pleasant in-between.
All veterans can identify with those Spartan conditions. We look to our veterans to remind us that service to this great nation may not be glamorous but it is nevertheless one of the noblest professions.
There are three qualities I believe veterans share that are worth noting as we pay tribute to them.
First, veterans readily accept the duty to serve their country.
Everybody in my generation had a father, an uncle, another relative who served in World War II. Military service was part of being a good citizen. And they did their duty without fanfare or rewards. They just did what they were asked to do.
My father served in World War II. And like many veterans, he had little to say about his experiences unless he was pressed.
(Tell anecdote about father.)
A second quality veterans share is the unselfish commitment to a cause greater than themselves.
Veterans have put aside comfort, personal preferences and individual needs for the sake of the unit. They interrupt their careers when called to serve. And they leave behind their own friends and family in order to protect all families and citizens.
Their service most certainly changed their lives and the lives of those around them. Yet they still responded because answering our country’s call was the right thing to do.
The third quality veterans share is allegiance to a code of honor: they pledge to pay the ultimate sacrifice if necessary for the well-being of others...
In a society where ego directs actions and pursuit of fulfillment leads to the inevitable question “What’s in it for me?” the veteran stands in stark contrast for his or her willingness to serve.
. . . Ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
Twelve graduates of The Citadel have paid the ultimate price for our freedom in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Only one of those 12 had served long enough to reach the rank of lieutenant colonel. The others held the junior ranks, just starting their military careers: 1st or 2nd lieutenant, captain, lance corporal and sergeant.
On October 30th, the flags in South Carolina flew at half staff in memory of our most recent South Carolina serviceman to die in action. National Guard Sergeant Edward
Philpot of Latta was killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan. He became the 50th South Carolinian to be killed in the war on terror.
As we celebrate Veterans Day and honor our veterans, we must never forget those who died on the battlefield around the world…fighting for our freedom.
Many of us have seen the Korean War Veteran’s Memorial in Washington, D.C. 19 stainless steel statues – 14 soldiers, one sailor, one airman and three marines – are looking toward a granite wall with the engraved words …“Freedom is not free.”
Veterans Day reminds us that those words represent 25 million Americans who have stood on the tip of the spear. We should be eternally grateful to them for ensuring our many freedoms including the right to worship here today.
Thank you for allowing me and my family to worship with you today.
May God bless you, your families, and our veterans.
