by Dick MacArmistice Day commemorated the signing of the treaty at the end of World War I among the Allies and Germany. It took effect at "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month." Today is Armistice Day.
War, in a historic perspective, is no easier to analyze than it is in the midst of the battles.
The two world wars of the Twentieth Century seemed like easy wars to justify and get behind. Those wars seem to have been about more than just control of natural resources; those wars seemed rooted in the human belief that there was a right way to live and that we would risk life and limb to ensure the rights of sovereign nations.
There have been a few other wars, or military actions, since then that have been efforts of human decency; I think of military conflicts in central Europe and Africa, undertaken to save ordinary citizens from genocide.
Today is Veterans Day, in the United States.
The American military has done some amazing things, and it is important to remember that there were times when men were sent to fight wars and they had no choice but to comply. Some of these men became heroes they never intended to be, some have been scarred for life. They deserve our thanks and respect.
We are creating new veterans today; men and women who have taken up arms at the behest of their nation, and no matter what you think of war or peace, today is the day to say thank-you to a veteran for risking everything.
Thank you!