Veterans Honored on 11/11
Politics set aside for a tribute to those in the U.S. Military
Republican presidential hopeful, Senator John McCain, talks about his time in a prison camp during a Veterans Day ceremony in Boscawen, New Hampshire, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007. (Photo: ©Jim Cole/AP Images)
It was a cold, but sunny Sunday morning in New Hampshire. Shouts of "Hoo-Rah" rang out across the Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen, as each branch of the U.S. military was called out. The cemetery was packed with politicians and other people there to honor the nation's veterans on Veterans Day.
Veterans are people who served in the military (U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard) in times of war or peace. In 1921, people began honoring veterans at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery near Washington, D.C. The date chosen was November 11 because World War I ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Congress established that day as Armistice Day in 1926. The day became known as Veterans Day after Congress and President Dwight D. Eisenhower passed an additional law in 1954.
"It's a day when we celebrate all veterans, both living and dead," said John Calo Commander of the Department of New Hampshire's Veterans of Foreign War. Calo and several other veterans spoke to Scholastic News Online about what Veterans Day means to them. "It is a day of celebration to remember what they are doing for their country, especially today with [the conflicts] in Afghanistan and Iraq," he added.
"Veterans Day means I am home with my brothers, and I am very glad to be home," said Harry Welch, a retired Air Force Officer from Meredith, New Hampshire.
Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain, a veteran, also had something to say about why it is important to for Americans to honor its veterans. "They are the most noble of all the Americans and if we don't honor them, we will have difficulty motivating future generations to serve our country," McCain told Scholastic News Online.
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| Scholastic Kid Reporter Hana Knowles with Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain at the Veterans Day ceremonies in Boscawen, New Hampsire, November 11, 2007. (Photo courtesy Hana Knowles) |
Politics Aside
The ceremony was in New Hampshire, which is currently the second state to vote in upcoming presidential primaries and caucuses. For candidates and politicians choosing to observe Veterans Day in New Hampshire, it was an obvious political choice, but no one mentioned politics. Elected officials from both the Republican and Democratic parties paid tribute to McCain, who was a Prisoner of War (POW) for five years during the Vietnam War.
Attending the event were many New Hampshire elected officials, including Governor John Lynch, Senator John Sununu, and Representatives Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter. Lynch, a Democrat, called McCain a great American hero.
In his remarks, McCain thanked all veterans for their service. He told a story about Mike Christian, who was a POW with him in Hanoi in North Vietnam. Christian had sewn an American flag from scraps of material so the men could say the pledge of allegiance each night before bed. He was severely beaten when the Vietnamese discovered the flag.
"Sitting there, beneath the light bulb, with a piece of white cloth, a piece of red cloth and a bamboo needle, and his eyes almost shut from the beating that he had received was my friend Mike Christian, making another American flag," McCain said.
CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION
Read today’s story and answer the following question.
| Do you think enough is done to honor those who have served in the United States military? Why or why not? What can you do to honor a veteran? Join a discussion of this question on our bulletin board. | |
Hana Knowles is a member of the Scholastic Kids Press Corps.
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