Veterans Day is often mistakenly treated as a memorial to those who gave their lives in defense of our country. Their sacrifice is worthy of our eternal gratitude, but we already have a day set aside specifically to recognize America’s honored dead.
Veterans Day serves a different, equally important purpose — paying tribute to every American who put on a uniform, answered the call to serve and contributed to the preservation of our freedom.
It honors the living as well as the dead. It recognizes those who fought on distant battlefields and those who stood watch during peacetime. It pays tribute to the men and women who returned home to their families and resumed their lives, knowing that the freedom they helped protect is something too many Americans take for granted.
In an era of voluntary military service, that distinction matters. Every American who enlists makes a conscious decision to accept responsibilities and risks most of their fellow citizens will never face. They understand that signing up could mean being called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice.
They don’t need to be sent into combat to demonstrate their willingness to do so.
Even those who served during peacetime understand the nation’s fortunes can change in an instant. History has repeatedly demonstrated that the relative calm of one generation can give way to the dangers and demands of the next.
The men and women in uniform stand ready to respond whenever and wherever their country needs them.
Their willingness to serve has consequences far beyond the battlefield. America’s military remains the most formidable deterrent on the planet, discouraging aggression and helping preserve the peace. That strength is built on the professionalism, dedication and readiness of generations of service members who have accepted the responsibility of defending our nation.
At the Freedom Foundation, we recognize the rights and liberties Americans enjoy are not self-sustaining. They depend on people willing to defend them, sometimes at tremendous personal cost. Our work is dedicated to safeguarding the rights and privileges America’s service members have sacrificed so much to secure.
We believe those freedoms deserve the same vigilance at home that our veterans have demonstrated in defending them abroad.
This Veterans Day, we salute every American who has worn the uniform. Whether they served in war or peace, whether they spent decades in uniform or completed a single tour, their contribution matters.
They answered the call. They accepted the risk. They helped preserve the freedoms we enjoy today.
They deserve our gratitude, our respect and our recognition. Not just today, but every day.
