Today we celebrate all of our military veterans, both past and present. Veterans Day is celebrated every year on November 11th, and it's a day in which we honor all military veterans for their service and patriotism. Importantly, Veterans Day honors all those who have served in our nation's armed forces, both living and deceased and during peacetime or wartime. Memorial Day, celebrated on the last Monday in May every year, specifically honors those men and women who have died while serving their country.
Abraham Lincoln once said, "Any nation that does not honor its heroes will not long endure." The American writer Joseph Campbell said, "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." Even if they did not pay the ultimate sacrifice, our veterans freely gave their time and energy to a greater cause, to protect the rest of us and to protect our freedom. We owe our veterans our gratitude and our respect.
I've mentioned the HBO television mini-series "Band of Brothers" several times in the past. It's one of my absolute favorites! The 10-episode mini-series tells the story about Easy Company, a paratrooper company of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, and their journey through World War II in Europe. The series follows the soldiers from their training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, in 1942 through major campaigns like D-Day, Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge, until the war's end. It is based on the book of the same name by the historian and author Stephen Ambrose and focuses on the real-life experiences, struggles, and camaraderie of the men, with each episode often spotlighting a different character.
There are a couple of scenes that I've always found to symbolize what it means to serve in the military. Both scenes are in later episodes and occur towards the end of the war. In the first scene (here's the video clip), most of the German Army has surrendered. One of their high ranking Generals asks permission to address his soldiers and comrades following their surrender. He gives the following speech:
"Men, it's been a long war. It's been a tough war. You've fought bravely, proudly for your country. You're a special group. You've found in one another a bond that exists only in combat, among brothers. You've shared foxholes, held each other in dire moments. You've seen death and suffered together. I'm proud to have served with each and every one of you. You all deserve long and happy lives in peace."
As one of the U.S. soldiers translates the speech, the men of Easy Company reflect on what they have been through as a unit and what their service has meant to them. It's a powerful scene that reminds us of what it means to serve and the bond that is shared among those who have served.
The second scene (here's the video clip) is at the very end of the mini-series. The actual men of Easy Company are talking about their experiences during the war, and how much they meant to each other. Dick Winters, who led Easy Company for most of the episodes (he actually ends up getting promoted to a battalion leadership position later in the mini-series) talks about a letter he had received from one of his men. He quotes the letter, "I cherish the memories of a question my grandson asked me the other day when he said, 'Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?' Grandpa said, 'No, but I served in a company of heroes."
All of our veterans are heroes. And today, we honor our heroes. No matter our differences, and despite all of our challenges, our nation still honors and respects the men and women who have served. And that is why we, as a nation, will endure.
Happy Veterans Day.
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