WWJV4.com would like to take time to thank each and every one of the brave men and women who have served or are serving this nation in the armed forces and their families and loved ones for the sacrifices that they, too, have made. We also pause in remembrance of those who have given their lives for this country and the freedoms it stands for, and for their families and loved ones who have made the ultimate sacrifice. We especially want to thank the non-citizen soldiers and LGBT soldiers who risk everything for a country that does not always seem to appreciate you. Thank you all.
Since 1968 we have celebrated Veterans Day on Monday. However today is historically Veterans Day, or Armistice Day as it was originally named in remembrance of the end of WWI. Veterans’ day was begun in 1919 when President Wilson proclaimed Armistice Day to celebrate the anniversary of the signing of an armistice between the Allied Nations and Germany. Veterans day is a day for remembering and honoring all of the brave men and women who have fought for our country through the years. No matter their political views, or the popularity of the war, the sacrifices of these soldiers have earned them a place of honor.
So today as a nation we stand together to remember those who have fought for our great nation. The brave men and women who sacrificed so much and their families. As with most working class Americans Summer and I have many family members who are Veterans. Our grandfathers fought in WWII and my father served in Vietnam. We do not come from military families, but our families are not unfamiliar with the costs of war. Also, like too many others, we have friends and family serving in harms way in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Today and every day we need to remember the sacrifices of veterans of past wars, but we must not forget those we have currently in harms way. While the media is painting a glossy picture of success in Iraq, Afghanistan has become increasingly more dangerous. What has long been a forgotten war, in more ways than one, is quickly becoming more and more dangerous. Despite any decrease in American casualties in the past month, 2007 is already the most deadly year yet both in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At the top of my page we run the counter for the financial cost of the Iraq war. we do this to illustrate the hypocrisy of those in power when they denounce needed domestic spending as fiscally irresponsible. However, the real cost has been the 3,859 dead and the tens of thousands critically wounded and handicapped. We cannot forget the pain and sacrifice of the hundreds of thousands of families who are afraid daily for their mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, and loved ones. That is the true cost of war, and it is a cost that this administration is all too willing to pay. No matter what you believe the reasons for the Iraq war are, it is time that we got our brave soldiers home and out of harms way because all the oil in Iraq is not worth the price of one more American death.
So today please join us in remembering those who served before, and those who we have placed in harms way. I welcome everyone to use the comments section of this post to honor our troops. No matter our feelings about this administration or their wars our soldiers are the greatest in the world. They risk their lives and endure unimaginable hardships in our name and we cannot thank them enough for that. We salute their bravery and sacrifices, and those of their families. Today, and every day we wish you peace.
~ William and Summer Ludwig ~