Veterans Day

Veterans Day

Most of you know that today the Adult School, the banks, the post office and many businesses are closed.

Because of big sales at Macy's and Mervyn's? No.

Veterans Day Sales, like Memorial Day Sales, Day after Christmas Day Sales, and the Friday after Thanksgiving, have become important days in the American Retail Calendar but this is not why the Adult School is closed today.

(You should know I am making a little joke here. There is no actual American Retail Calendar. Although maybe there should be. And what does "retail" mean? And what does "wholesale" mean? And do you like shopping in busy malls during holidays?)

Today all these places are closed because it is Veterans Day.
(Notice the spelling. No apostrophe! No possessive!)

This day began as Armistice Day. It was a day to remember the end of World War I which ended at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. It was a day to honor the veterans of World War I, also known as The Great War.

At the time, people thought this was "the war to end all wars." They thought World War I was a really, really, really big war and now there would be peace.

As we know, that didn't happen. World War II came not long after and many more wars after that, all over the world.

In 1954, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a day to honor all veterans of all wars.

Sometimes people wonder: What is the difference between Memorial Day and Veteran's Day?

Memorial Day is about veterans who died in wars. Veterans Day is about people who are alive today who served in the military, in war or peacetime. We often use “serve” when we talk about the military. We say someone “served their country” if they were in the military. People in the military are called servicemen or servicewomen.

Many people have strong feelings about war. They may approve of one war but not approve of another. Or they may think all wars are wrong. A pacifist is someone who chooses peace - pacifism - over war.

(What about the Pacific Ocean? Is it peaceful? Which is more peaceful - the Atlantic or the Pacific?)

When I was growing up, many people were angry about the Vietnam War. They did not think the U.S. should be in Vietnam fighting that war. There were many protests. When veterans came home from the war, they were often treated badly. Sometimes people spit on them.

If you want to learn more about this time, you can rent "Born on the Fourth of July," starring Tom Cruise. There are many good American movies about The Vietnam War and veterans from this war including The Deerhunter, Platoon, and Good Morning, Vietnam. Most movies about the Vietnam War are very heavy. (What does “heavy” mean? Is it hard to pick up these movies?)

Today things are different for veterans. Many people do not approve of the war in Iraq but they do not spit on the veterans when they come home. Most people, I think, try to show them support and appreciation. They understand that fighting in a war has a very high price. Many veterans return disabled or with PTSD - post traumatic stress syndrome.

I live in San Francisco. Many students comment to me about the many homeless people in my city. Many homeless people are veterans - here in San Francisco and all over the U.S. Many social scientists try to understand why this has happened. This did not happen after World War II but it happened after the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and it is happening again now with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Veterans Day is not an American holiday. Other countries celebrate it also.

Does your home country have a special day or way to honor veterans?

In this country, we have a special department to help veterans. It is usually called “The VA.”
This is an abbreviation for the Department of Veterans Affairs. This is their website:
http://www1. va.gov/opa/ vetsday/vetday_ faq.asp

On this day, take a moment to honor veterans. Many immigrants, many without citizenship, are fighting in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan now. Take a moment to honor them. Let's hope together that they return home safe and sound in both mind and body.

And let us hope that one day there will be not just "a war to end all wars" but "a peace to end all wars." It is a difficult goal, of course. But sometimes the difficult goals are the most important ones to pursue.

Teacher Cynthia