November 11, 2024
Veterans Day
November 11th is the actual date for many years of Armistice Day as it was commissioned in 1919 after, as some said “The war to end war” ended. November 11th was chosen because the war ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.
I remember the Veterans Day Parade in Long Beach California back in the 1960’s. Back then the City of Long Beach California had a huge Navy presence with a Navy Base and a Naval Shipyard. It was a great event. I always remember the float with a huge replica of the USS Long Beach going down Ocean Boulevard to the cheers of the crowd. Good times. The city in later years cancelled the parade due to the closure of the Navy base and the lack of money.
There is no longer a draft and as of right now it is a choice to join the Armed Forces. Selective Service exists but it has not been activated. Since the end of the Vietnam War all military personnel are volunteers. So what does Veterans Day really mean? It is a day to celebrate our Veterans of the Armed Forces that sacrificed a part of their life to protect our God given rights as described and protected in the US Constitution.
For that sacrifice our Veterans should not only be celebrated on one day, it should be all year. They should have access to the best healthcare available. They should be able to use any doctor or medical facility in the country for free. The VA (Veterans Administration) should be an agency that actually helps Veterans instead of being a nightmare of bureaucratic red tape. I knew a Veteran who waited over three years to get his prosthetic finger repaired by the Veterans Administration Healthcare. This is absolutely unacceptable. They should also never be guinea pigs for medications such as experimental vaccines. Many Veterans have visible scars and many have invisible wounds that affect their mind everyday such as PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). They should have access to every type of mental and medical help available at anytime and for no cost. These Veterans should not be constrained by disorders that the received by serving in the military.
If a Veteran owns a business they should also have an incentive to do business with the federal government. If private businesses want to offer discounts or other perks to Veterans that is there right and a very good gesture on their part. That is more than what the government and politicians do for Veterans. Our Veterans should never be used as pawns in a game like they were during a war or props for any politician trying for self serving personal gain.
There are no excuses but unfortunately this does not happen. Our government and politicians have never treated our Veterans properly. They only have a day where as special interests group have an entire month for celebration. That shows how crazy our country has become. Those that sacrificed a part of their life get one day of celebration and those that group that make a lot of political noise get a whole month for celebration. That is also where the problem lies, Veterans have no political clout. Politicians always use them for hype to promote their political careers but they rarely do anything that actually helps the Veterans. As usual with politicians, all talk and no action. This has happened so many times in the past. Promises made need to be promises kept such as combat pay or lost time pay for the Veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. It never happened and the promise made was never kept by our government. We always have money available for foreign countries and causes but we never have money to help our Veterans. That is a disgusting state of affairs and our government and politicians should be ashamed. As usual with politicians and government they don’t even know what shame means.
My father was a Veteran of World War II. When he came home there was no parade, that was just in the movies. When he was back home he had to find a job immediately so he could support his family. Many do not realize jobs were not held for the returning Veteran. Companies even back then just didn’t hire someone because they were a Veteran and that included the Federal government. They picked and chose who they wanted because the field of workers was so vast. If you knew someone finding a job was easy. For my father since he knew no one, finding a job was difficult and was through luck. He did find a job and was able to support his family.
Many are still here with us and many are not. As I said before my father was a Veteran of World War II and he passed away many years ago. He served in the Pacific and never talked about the horrors of war. I lost a young nephew who was a Veteran of the second Irag war to the invisible wound of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). I wish my father was alive when my nephew had his problems and maybe they could have talked. Being able to talk about combat experience maybe my young nephew would still be here. Who knows what could have happened? In some ways the horrors of war today are similar to the horrors of war yesterday, technology is more advanced but the human aspects remain and everyone handles it differently.
I have known many Veterans in my lifetime and some were from World War I. One thing I have learned is that wars and military conflicts always affect the families. Some family members come home and some do not. Serving in the Armed Services is a sacrifice for those that serve and their families even though today it is voluntary. If you live, work and are a citizen of the United States of America and practice your God given Constitutional Rights, today and everyday, it is because of Veterans!
That’s An Old Timer’s Opinion.
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©2024 James Colozzo, All Rights Reserved
Veterans Day
November 11th is the actual date for many years of Armistice Day as it was commissioned in 1919 after, as some said “The war to end war” ended. November 11th was chosen because the war ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.
I remember the Veterans Day Parade in Long Beach California back in the 1960’s. Back then the City of Long Beach California had a huge Navy presence with a Navy Base and a Naval Shipyard. It was a great event. I always remember the float with a huge replica of the USS Long Beach going down Ocean Boulevard to the cheers of the crowd. Good times. The city in later years cancelled the parade due to the closure of the Navy base and the lack of money.
There is no longer a draft and as of right now it is a choice to join the Armed Forces. Selective Service exists but it has not been activated. Since the end of the Vietnam War all military personnel are volunteers. So what does Veterans Day really mean? It is a day to celebrate our Veterans of the Armed Forces that sacrificed a part of their life to protect our God given rights as described and protected in the US Constitution.
For that sacrifice our Veterans should not only be celebrated on one day, it should be all year. They should have access to the best healthcare available. They should be able to use any doctor or medical facility in the country for free. The VA (Veterans Administration) should be an agency that actually helps Veterans instead of being a nightmare of bureaucratic red tape. I knew a Veteran who waited over three years to get his prosthetic finger repaired by the Veterans Administration Healthcare. This is absolutely unacceptable. They should also never be guinea pigs for medications such as experimental vaccines. Many Veterans have visible scars and many have invisible wounds that affect their mind everyday such as PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). They should have access to every type of mental and medical help available at anytime and for no cost. These Veterans should not be constrained by disorders that the received by serving in the military.
If a Veteran owns a business they should also have an incentive to do business with the federal government. If private businesses want to offer discounts or other perks to Veterans that is there right and a very good gesture on their part. That is more than what the government and politicians do for Veterans. Our Veterans should never be used as pawns in a game like they were during a war or props for any politician trying for self serving personal gain.
There are no excuses but unfortunately this does not happen. Our government and politicians have never treated our Veterans properly. They only have a day where as special interests group have an entire month for celebration. That shows how crazy our country has become. Those that sacrificed a part of their life get one day of celebration and those that group that make a lot of political noise get a whole month for celebration. That is also where the problem lies, Veterans have no political clout. Politicians always use them for hype to promote their political careers but they rarely do anything that actually helps the Veterans. As usual with politicians, all talk and no action. This has happened so many times in the past. Promises made need to be promises kept such as combat pay or lost time pay for the Veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. It never happened and the promise made was never kept by our government. We always have money available for foreign countries and causes but we never have money to help our Veterans. That is a disgusting state of affairs and our government and politicians should be ashamed. As usual with politicians and government they don’t even know what shame means.
My father was a Veteran of World War II. When he came home there was no parade, that was just in the movies. When he was back home he had to find a job immediately so he could support his family. Many do not realize jobs were not held for the returning Veteran. Companies even back then just didn’t hire someone because they were a Veteran and that included the Federal government. They picked and chose who they wanted because the field of workers was so vast. If you knew someone finding a job was easy. For my father since he knew no one, finding a job was difficult and was through luck. He did find a job and was able to support his family.
Many are still here with us and many are not. As I said before my father was a Veteran of World War II and he passed away many years ago. He served in the Pacific and never talked about the horrors of war. I lost a young nephew who was a Veteran of the second Irag war to the invisible wound of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). I wish my father was alive when my nephew had his problems and maybe they could have talked. Being able to talk about combat experience maybe my young nephew would still be here. Who knows what could have happened? In some ways the horrors of war today are similar to the horrors of war yesterday, technology is more advanced but the human aspects remain and everyone handles it differently.
I have known many Veterans in my lifetime and some were from World War I. One thing I have learned is that wars and military conflicts always affect the families. Some family members come home and some do not. Serving in the Armed Services is a sacrifice for those that serve and their families even though today it is voluntary. If you live, work and are a citizen of the United States of America and practice your God given Constitutional Rights, today and everyday, it is because of Veterans!
That’s An Old Timer’s Opinion.
If you Like, Dislike or are Neutral about my opinion, let me and others know about it and Help A Old Timer support himself by Buying a Comment below.
If An Old Timer’s Opinion is revealing, controversial or upsetting, please tell your family, friends and neighbors.
©2024 James Colozzo, All Rights Reserved
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