Remembering the heroes of yesterday

By: Andrew Nowel, Editor-In-Chief

On Wednesday, no matter where you were or when you woke up, one of the first things you saw on social media was that it was Veterans Day. A day that we remember those who came before us that made a choice to defend our country and its freedoms.

Rewind to Nov. 11, 1919 where President Woodrow Wilson officially declared the date an annual holiday to remember those who fought in World War I. But why Nov. 11? The war ended on June 28 with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. However, fighting had basically stopped several months earlier when an armistice was put in place at the “11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.”

Wilson declared Nov. 11 as Armistice Day with the original concept of the day being “a halt of business at 11:00 a.m.” For nearly 20 years, Americans celebrated the day, but it was not a legal holiday. Until May 13, 1938, when Congress passed an act making Nov. 11 a legal holiday. Just as World War II was beginning, the United States realized that they were having to recognize more than just World War I veterans.

In October 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day Proclamation. Now, over 70 years later, the U.S. has celebrated and honored veterans around the country, and we will continue to do so for years to come.

So who are the men and women who fought for their country to keep the freedoms built by our founding fathers? They are everyday people. When you’re out on the street, you may not know who you are passing on the street because maybe, just maybe, it’s someone who has stories from years of being on the front lines.

Locally, multiple veterans were honored at the Buffalo Naval and Military Park on Wednesday. U.S. Navy veteran Carl Mottern spoke to Channel 4 WIVB during the event saying “I think it recognizes people that raised their hand and stepped forward when the country needed them.” For a generation that gave all they had to defend a country that has fought for every freedom, these veterans recognize their sacrifice of giving up a normal life to let everyone else live their lives. “As we say as veterans, we all gave some, and some gave all. And we do it for those veterans that are not here with us today,” U.S. Army veteran Anthony Bartucca said.

On a day that recognizes those sacrifices and honors the ones who gave everything so we could have everything, Veterans Day is more than just a repost on social media. It’s about letting veterans know we care about their service and about this country. In a world where everything is political, Veterans Day is a way to cross party lines and come together to celebrate the people who made this country great.

So when you’re sitting there on a random Tuesday at 11:11 a.m., remember the heroes of yesterday and what they gave for us to sit here today.