Veteran’s Day: The day to celebrate and thank any currently serving or retired military service members.

My being in a family with many family members having been in all branches of the military makes it fairly easy to celebrate and thank them for their amazing service to keep our country safe, by putting their lives on the line time and time again.

A bit about the holiday: Veteran’s Day origins can be traced back to 1947 on November 11 in Birmingham, Alabama, designating Armistice Day. Armistice Day is celebrated throughout the world on November 11, marking the ceasefire of World War I.

Veteran’s Day as we know it now was created by a World War II veteran named Raymond Weeks.

It was originally celebrated with a parade and other festivities to honor all veterans. That is generally how it’s still celebrated today, but due to our current situation with COVID-19, this did not really happen in 2020. 

It’s still quite easy to reach out to a distant relative that’s a retired or currently serving member of the military or just asking someone if they’re a vet. 

My grandparents are both retired from the Air Force, and they served in both Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield.

My grandmother was in the communications side of things, but even with that, she was near danger. Once, the tent city she was in while on active duty overseas was hit with a bomb. 

Sadly, I don’t have any stories from my grandfathers’ time while overseas, but they both served for 20-ish years and are still working to this day. My grandma works at the VA Hospital in Grand Forks, and my grandpa works at Crystal Sugar.

Veterans Day isn’t the biggest holiday on the calendar, but I personally feel as though it should get more recognition.