As President Bush proclaimed last week, this week has been National Veterans Awareness Week and tomorrow is Veterans Day.  This is a time for solemn reflection but also for celebration and remembrance.

Veterans deserve nothing less than our full memory, engaged in the knowledge that their service purchased today’s freedoms.

In November of 1919, President Woodrow Wilson issued an Armistice Day proclamation. The last paragraph set the tone for future observances:  “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice.”

In 1954, Congress officially provided that Nov. 11 be set aside as Veterans Day:  a legal public holiday to honor veterans.  President Wilson’s message is no less urgent today then it was in 1919 or 1954.

The freedom we enjoy is not free. It was purchased and is maintained by our veterans.  Their sacrifice and resolve have set a standard of courage and idealism for the entire world; they stepped forward when America needed them most.  In 1776, citizen soldiers made independence a reality from a declaration. 

Almost a century later, other citizens fought for the unity of the nation. Yet more citizens defended liberty and freedom worldwide during two world wars and several large-scale regional conflicts.  Tens of millions of Americans have served in the Armed Forces and hundreds of thousands have given their lives in order to maintain our freedoms, our way of life,

But that knowledge is fleeting. We are an all volunteer force. The all volunteer force offers the United States flexibility for its defense and an outstanding pool of talent from which to enlist and commission its members. 

However, the all volunteer force has, according to the U.S. Senate, resulted in a sharp decline in the number of individuals and families who have had any personal connection with the Armed Forces.

Our responsibility, then, is not to forget. We must remember those who have gone before, the veterans who have kept America free. Honoring them by remembering them is crucial to our future.  As we honor and remember the veterans who have already served, don’t forget those who serve now. 

During this global war on terror your support is critical to their well-being. Those here at home—the families that those valiant soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen have left behind—need your thoughts, strength, and your support.

Remember those who have served, don’t forget those who are serving, and don’t forget those who serve the ones serving now.

As always, take care of each other and stay safe.