“Who fights for Freedom, goes with joyful tread.” This line from a poem by Joyce Kilmer, who was himself an American soldier, is a fitting tribute to the many brave soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines throughout U.S. history on this Veterans Day.
Veterans Day, which was originally established as Armistice Day (hence Nov. 11, which in 1918 was the day the armistice was signed) to honor WWI veterans, was expanded after WWII and the Korean War to honor all U.S. veterans. Today we can remember and pay tribute to those who have died, but the focus is on veterans who are still alive, who sacrificed for liberty and deserve our thanks and admiration.
Kilmer wrote of the American soldier, “Upon his will he binds a radiant chain, / For Freedom’s sake he is no longer free.” Freedom comes at a price, and our veterans have paid it. Today I personally would like to thank my own grandparents, parents, great-uncles, uncles, and siblings who have served or are serving currently in multiple branches of America’s armed forces.
Vietnam veterans were lied about and badly treated when they returned, and even now there is not quite the widespread celebration of military courage that there was for WWI and WWII vets. Of course, that will probably improve under a Trump-Vance administration — the Biden-Harris administration has callously endangered and ignored the U.S. military — but ultimately each one of us can decide to do something special for veterans, from something as simple as thanking them for their service to buying them lunch, sending cards, or donating to veteran organizations.
From Military.com:
Over the years, Veterans Day has evolved into a day not just for remembering those who served in wartime but also for recognizing all veterans, including those who served in peacetime. It now serves as a time to reflect on veterans' contributions and ongoing challenges, such as health care and employment. The day has become a platform for honoring service while also advocating for veterans' needs.
Related: Today Is the Marine Corps’ Birthday
I would like to end with the poem I referenced by Kilmer called “The Peacemaker.” Kilmer was an American poet who enlisted in the U.S. Army in World War I and was killed in 1918. Kilmer was passionately patriotic and joyfully Catholic, and his faith in his God and his country shines through in this poem, which he penned while he was fighting overseas. Amidst the hell of WWI warfare, Kilmer believed so strongly in liberty and the American spirit that he was always sure U.S. soldiers would bring peace to the world again.
Upon his will he binds a radiant chain,
For Freedom’s sake he is no longer free.
It is his task, the slave of Liberty,
With his own blood to wipe away a stain.
That pain may cease, he yields his flesh to pain.
To banish war, he must a warrior be.
He dwells in Night, eternal Dawn to see,
And gladly dies, abundant life to gain.
What matters Death, if Freedom be not dead?
No flags are fair, if Freedom’s flag be furled.
Who fights for Freedom, goes with joyful tread
To meet the fires of Hell against him hurled,
And has for captain Him whose thorn-wreathed head
Smiles from the Cross upon a conquered world.
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