Since Sunday was recognized as Veterans Sunday, the week has been marked with many salutes to veterans and praise for their service to the country. Actually, Veterans Day will be Thursday, November 11, and November 11 to November 17 is National Veteran Awareness Week. Veterans Day began as Armistice Day, officially recognizing the end of World War I. In 1954, after World War II and the Korean War, the word Armistice was changed to Veterans, thus recognizing veterans of all wars.
To me, Memorial Day has been the more significant day because it recognizes those who gave their lives for their country, but I realize many veterans made sacrifices only slightly less than giving their lives. I hold to the belief that veterans, having served their country militarily, have an obligation to continue their service to the country. I became imbued with this philosophy though my many years in the American Legion. I can remember clearly how I became involved so deeply. I had written in a sports column a suggestion that the Homer American Legion Post should sponsor a Legion baseball team. The post commander agreed and proposed that I organize and manage the team. This was not what I had in mind at all, but I finally gave in and the result was that I managed and coach an American Legion basseball team for many years.
Until that time I had not been action in the Legion, but that year I was named commander of the post even though I had never held any office before. That began a long career of service on the post and district level, and I became more and more committed to the tenet that veterans should continue to serve their community and their country in every way possible.
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