Veterans Day
11/11/2010 7:34:49 AM

Today I don't want to talk about business. I won't be giving you any marketing tips in this article. Today I want to talk on a higher level than the nuances of making a profit. I want to talk about a group of people whose efforts have made it possible for all of us to do what we do without fear of having our lives turned upside down for doing so. It is November 11; Veterans Day.

I suppose I am partial to this day because my father and my grandfather, two men who are heroes to me, were both veterans of war. Both served in the U.S. Army; my dad in WWII and my grandpa in WWI. Beyond their service, I grew up with a great admiration for the men and women who were my mentors, teachers, coaches and neighbors who served in the Armed Services, defending liberty around the globe.

If you know your history, you know that Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day, or in some parts of the world, Remembrance Day. On November 11, 1918 at 11:00 a.m., Germany signed the Armistice ending the First World War. This day was chosen to honor the vets of WWI the following year, when Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the day as a national holiday. In 1938, Calvin Coolidge signed a bill that set Armistice Day aside as an ongoing legal holiday. In 1954, Dwight Eisenhower signed legislation that changed the name to Veterans Day, a holiday to honor all veterans.

I would encourage you to seek out a veteran before the day is out to thank them for their service. You might have vets in your family or in your neighborhood. There have been nearly 25 million people who have served our country in this way, so they are not hard to find. Give them your hand, a pat on the back, a salute, or a simple "thank you." They may brush it off as no big deal, but underneath it all, they will feel appreciated. That is what this day is all about.
 

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