Remember all who served this Veterans Day

On a cold morning in November, more than a century ago, the guns finally fell silent on battlefields around the world. World War I had reached its end, not before claiming the lives of a generation of young men representing the 30 different nations participating in the war.

In 1938, 20 years after the end of World War I, Congress declared the creation of a national Armistice Day, to recognize and remember that conflict, and to honor those who served.

In 1954, under Pres. Dwight Eisenhower, and at the urging of U.S. secretary of veterans affairs Harvey Higley, a Marinette County native, the name was changed to Veterans Day and the scope expanded, not only to honor and remember the veterans of one conflict, but to recognize all those who have served, whether in times of war or times of peace.

For the past 67 years, Veterans Day has been recognized with ceremonies and speeches, salutes and thank yous.

Veterans come together, and share their stories of service and sacrifice, at services held at schools and monuments, later gathering at veterans halls to remember missing comrades and share experiences.

As of its most recent official count, the U.S. Census Bureau records 326,288 veterans living in Wisconsin. Veterans account for 7.2 percent of the state population. Of that number, 49,132 served in the era since Sept. 11, 2001, while 124,986 of them served during the Vietnam War era.

Additionally, veterans have a workforce participation rate of 77.7 percent, greatly exceeding the general workforce participation rate in Wisconsin, of 66.6 percent and of the nation, at 61.5 percent.

All those numbers are, by necessity, a snapshot. The numbers change daily, as young veterans leave military service to reenter civilian life and older veterans pass onto their eternal reward. What those numbers do reflect, is the important role veterans continue to play in the community and nation.

Veterans bring with them a skill set that is uniquely targeted toward leadership. This is the reason companies such as Amazon, count veterans at 50 to 60 percent of their management level employees, a percentage that far exceeds veterans’ number of the general population. At a local level, the leadership rate of veterans in civic organizations and government exceeds that of the general population, showing that the call to service remains strong.

For generations, veterans have served as a pillar of strength in communities large and small. In response to this continued service, it is only right that all people take time from their day on Veterans Day, to stop and thank veterans for their service. That thank you needs to further extend throughout the year, to ensuring that veterans have access to the benefits they are owed and which they have earned through their service.

Take time this Veterans Day and every year, to share in honoring veterans through gratitude and respect.

Members of the Courier Sentinel editorial board include publisher Carol O’Leary, general manager Kris O’Leary and Star News editor Brian Wilson.