A Day of Remembrance
A Day of Remembrance
Let’s all pause in respect and gratitude on 11/11 at 11:00am; Veterans Day services and activities scheduled in our local communities
Photos / Various Sources
On November 11, 1918, an armistice ending the “Great War” was signed at exactly 11:00am, marking a wild celebration throughout the entire free world. In a post-WWI world population of 1.8 billion people, 17 million names of individual human beings had been obliterated from that roster by the devastation of WWI - 9 million military and an estimated eight million civilians. It was a war like no other (surely, they proclaimed, the “war to end all wars”) with advances in new, sophisticated weaponry, machine guns and poison gas that covered large sections of Europe and the Middle East, Pacific and Asia-Pacific. Consensus was, there would not be, there could not possibly be, any more wars. Ahhhh, Peace!
Peace, though, is kind of like the family heirloom porcelain or bone china. It can be durable, precious, and beautiful, but always requires diligence and careful handling. After time, without constant care, chips or cracks can form, and regrettably, it only took a single generation for our peace to unravel and tyranny to rear its ugly head again… and as it turns out, many times more.
Even so, the American Legion had been lobbying for “Armistice Day” (armistice meaning “cease fire”) to be observed in the United States since 1920. It certainly was a wild and hopeful time then, and even though peace did not last, as had been hoped, the American Legion continued to advocate for November 11th to be a day to honor every American who honorably served in our nation’s military since the Revolutionary War. Of course, it took years… and more years, but it finally bore fruit when President Dwight D. Eisenhower (an Army veteran himself), on October 8, 1954, signed a proclamation officially changing Armistice Day to Veteran’s Day.
“Veterans Day - like the Armistice Day of before - will ever remain a day of remembrance… Remembrance for those who have placed their love of God and country, their devotion to liberty and freedom, above even life itself. But also, it should be a day of rejoicing... Rejoicing that American manhood and womanhood always have measured up to our responsibilities.”
Responsibilities change. In 1980, about 18 percent of U.S. adults were veterans. Today, it is approximately 7 percent. Today, active duty service members comprise less than one-half of one percent of the U.S. population. When I was growing up immediately post-WWII, I witnessed the responsibilities my dad, an 18-year veteran of the armed forces, took upon his shoulders to keep the spirit of service alive in our small community. He formed the American Legion post in our village, became Commander, wrote to President Eisenhower asking for a building for the vets and, with his team of vets, responded to need after need for their fellow citizens. Today, and most recently in October, Stars and Stripes reports that roughly +1,500 active duty troops were deployed to North Carolina to give aid to those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. They joined the +6,500 Army and Air National Guard soldiers from 18 states already deployed. They serve without hesitation and with honor.
The veterans’ responsibilities may have evolved in this changing world, but the love of the United States, our beloved America, is a common (and multi-colored) thread that bonds all veterans - from those buried in cemeteries throughout our small towns and big cities who fought to establish this country during the American Revolution and all through the subsequent generations and varied causes. These heroes fought for what they believed in. Some never came home, some did and were never the same. Others came back and some grabbed the torch of freedom abiding by the sense of responsibility that came with signing on in the first place. I grew up hearing “Once a Marine, always a Marine.” My sense is… “Once a soldier/sailor/coast guard/air or space Corp member, it becomes part of their permanent identity.
But our veterans, although many continue to be present and responsible as needed, need from us who allowed them to carry our responsibility, gratitude for their service and assurance that their service to our country is respected by their fellow Americans. Winston Churchill famously once said, “Never was so much owed by so many to so few.” We start by acknowledging their service - by simply saying, “Thank you for your Veterans service to our country.”
Our message to America’s veterans - past and present - is simple. We will never forget you. God Bless America and God Bless our Veterans.
Locally, as is tradition in Ellicottville, there will be a service at 11:00am (The 11th Hour) on the 11th. Ellicottville veterans and their families, friends and neighbors will meet at the Ellicottville Gazebo where Dale Dunkleman will give a brief speech, as well as our Mayor John Burrell, followed by taps (a bugle call to signify the end of a military day, used for patriotic memorials and funerals) and the shooting of the cannons.
Little Valley will host a “Meet a Civil War Soldier” from 2:00-4:00pm on Veteran’s Day at the Cattaraugus County Civil War Memorial at 302 Court Street. This is a free event that the public is more than welcome to attend. Living historian Ed Brodbeck will be on-site in full Union garb and will share his knowledge accumulated from years of study. There will be a luncheon prior to this event at the Little Valley American Legion, Post 531 at 5899 Route 353, from 11:00am-1:00pm. Veterans eat free and everyone else is just $5.
In Salamanca, at 61 Wildwood Avenue, the John F. Ahrens Auxiliary is having a Veterans Day service at 11:00am, followed by a Suicide Awareness Walk in honor of the vets who resort to suicide. Registration is at noon for just $1 and the walk begins at 1:00pm. There is a free picnic, 50/50 raffle and more for those who have contributed. “Remember, they marched for us… We walk for them.”
Portville is holding a Veterans Day Free Coffee for Veterans at 66 South Main Street sponsored by the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association NY CVMA. Drop in for a spot of brew with fellow vets.
Olean VFW Post 1619, 1290 Route 16, invites all to a Veterans Day celebration from 1:00-5:00pm. There will be free food and music by Muddy Rivers. Enjoy!