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There are some 800,000 veterans living in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Over 87,000 of those reside in Virginia's Fourth Congressional District, making it the 16th out of 435 congressional districts in the nation for highest veterans population.
These individuals are among us standing in line at the grocery store, waving as we pull into our driveways, sitting in our church services, and standing next to us as we fill our cars at the gas pump. We are surrounded by heroes, those who have made sacrifices for our nation; many of them have known individuals who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Daily, we walk next to individuals who served in Vietnam, fought at the battle of Inchon, liberated Kuwait, provided humanitarian relief in Bosnia and Herzegovina and served in Afghanistan. Occasionally, we have the honor of being amidst those few remaining World War II veterans. These individuals have given of themselves to their nation in peacetime and in war.
Most of the time, we do not even realize it. Our veterans are often most remarkable for not seeking any special attention for what they have contributed to this country. Many have a quiet humility about them; they are happy to blend into their communities. Save an occasional license plate cover, a small pin on a lapel, or a veterans organization hat, we often do not know it when we are in the midst of them.
Today, however, is different. Today, we ask those men and women to come forward and stand up from the masses so we can bestow upon them the honor and the gratitude they deserve. We fly American flags. We shake their hands to say thank you. We hold local parades to honor the living. We wear poppies to remember the fallen.
Veterans Day is set aside to remember all veterans, living and deceased, who served our nation. When President Woodrow Wilson issued the declaration for the observance, he said the day should "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 the councils of the nations..."
Veterans Day is symbolic and so we look towards symbols like parades and poppies because we want a meaningful way to honor our veterans. We want to celebrate our nation’s veterans and to proudly point out to our communities and say “Here are the men and women who have fought for our freedoms. They have kept the peace. They have made us free.” And so we hold parades. We want to honor the fallen with a symbol that reminds us of the sacrifice, but also provides us hope. And so we wear vibrant red poppies, a flower known for thriving in disturbed soil.
This weekend, as you are out in your communities, shake the hand of a veteran. Ask them to stand in your Sunday school class and be honored. Attend a parade. Send an email to a veteran you know and simply say thank you. We should be so grateful to be surrounded by men and women of such courage.
“What makes a nation’s pillars high
And its foundations strong?
What makes it might to defy
The foes that round it throng?
It is not gold. Its kingdoms grand
Go down in battle shock;
Its shafts are laid on sinking sand,
Not on abiding rock.
Is it the sword? Ask the red dust
Of empires passed away;
The blood has turned their stones to rust,
Their glory to decay.
And is it pride? Ah, the bright crown
Has seemed to nations sweet;
But God has struck its luster down
In ashes at his feet.
Not gold but only men can make
A people great and strong;
Men who for truth and honor’s sake
Stand fast and suffer long.
Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly—
They build a nation’s pillars deep
And lift them to the sky."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)
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