Friday, March 29, 2024

Help us honor our veterans on Veterans Day

Posted

FROM MY FRONT PORCH

 

Sam Houston is the publisher of the Hood County News. He is also an actor, author, playwright, performer and entertainment producer/promoter.

 

 

One of my favorite holidays is Veterans Day. Granted, Veterans Day does not conform to what most people would consider to be the important attributes of a “favorite holiday.”

To begin with, it is celebrated on a Thursday instead of on a Monday so there is no extended holiday weekend as is the case with so many federal holidays. Secondly, it is generally not associated with being a holiday where families get together to celebrate as a group.

Lastly, there is no specific food identified with Veterans Day. On Easter we have ham, at Thanksgiving we celebrate eating turkey, and on the Fourth of July folks have cookouts. What food is associated with Veterans Day? Did I just “hear” some of my military friends chiming in asking; “spam”?

Truth is there will never be a special food on Veterans Day, nor will it be a three-day holiday weekend where people take extended weekend vacations. Veterans Day is not a day to celebrate by eating or vacationing; it is a DAY TO REMEMBER! It is about remembering the men and woman who have served our country so faithfully and unselfishly and the sacrifices they made for all of us.

Veterans Day is about reflecting on those who served at Normandy Beach, the Chosin Reservoir, Tarawa, Khe Sahn, Kandahar, Valley Forge and Gettysburg. It is about giving thanks for the sacrifice of so many. I would hope Veterans Day is the one occasion where every single American, whether they are young or old, and irrespective of their religion, color, or political beliefs, would stop and give thanks to the men and woman who have served and allowed us to keep our great nation.

Yes, our nation has flaws. It has issues and shortcomings, and sometimes it has challenges. But where else in the world have so many different religions, cultures, and peoples come together and live as one in peace and relative harmony? Our veterans have fought to ensure our citizens are free, and able to exercise their rights to have discourse, disagreements and voice protests.  Despite those disagreements, we remain as a light to the rest of the world of what is possible. We are perfect in our imperfection. We can never repay the debt we all owe to our veterans, for without them this shining light would simply not exist.

Starting Wednesday, Oct. 20, and each Wednesday thereafter through our Veterans Day edition on Nov. 10, the Hood County News will be running a feature on a veteran who resides in Hood County. I hope you enjoy reading the stories of our local heroes and your appreciation grows for the sacrifice our men and women have made for our nation, and for each of us.

I am excited to report that in the Nov. 10 edition, we will be running photographs of Hood County veterans. Please go to our website and send us the photo of your favorite veteran, including their branch of service, the years served, and rank. How cool will it be to have photos of our heroes fill the pages of the HCN?

Please send us your photos of your veterans and help us identify each one of them so all our friends and neighbors can thank them. They deserve it!

Thought for the day: “Veterans know better than anyone else the price of freedom, for they’ve suffered the scars of war. We can offer them no better tribute than to protect what they have won for us” — Ronald Reagan

Until next time..

 

sam@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 260