Take a moment to honor our veterans

We have been told repeatedly by President Barack Obama and various members of Congress that they oppose any strategy in the Middle East that includes American “boots on the ground.” And yet American troops still are fighting and dying in Iraq, Afghanistan, even Syria.

Many of those now stationed in the Middle East will be veterans of what amounts to a war against the terrorist group Islamic State. While they will not technically be combatants, they will serve in an advisory capacity with Iraqi soldiers, regional militias, Turkish troops, Kurds and Syrian rebels friendly to the United States – and they will be in harm’s way.

Perhaps these “advisers” are emblematic of how U.S. troops now will be routinely deployed around the world. Instead of massing tens of thousands of troops for an invasion force, presidents will send a contingent of special ops, with accompanying air support to trouble spots in hopes of tamping out small fires before they become full-blown infernos.

But whatever the new role for America’s enlisted men and women might be, one thing will never change: They still are the point of the spear protecting the rest of us from those who would do us harm, attack our allies or challenge our national interests across the globe.

And they are among those we will honor today on Veterans Day, the day for remembering the service of all those who served honorably in the military – during both wartime and peacetime. Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day primarily is an occasion to thank living veterans for their service and to let them know that their efforts to ensure our national security are appreciated.

This commemoration began in 1919 as Armistice Day, first observed on Nov. 11, a year after the armistice ending World War I. In 1938, Congress passed a bill making Nov. 11 an annual holiday to honor the cause of world peace. But, sadly, World War I did not live up to its nickname as “the war to end all wars.”

In 1954, after World War II, the law was amended and the holiday was renamed Veterans Day, a day honoring veterans of all American wars.

Today, let us give special thanks to those remaining members of the “Greatest Generation,” many of whom were just boys when they signed up but who nonetheless were participants in one of the greatest conflagrations the world has ever witnessed. But our gratitude to the veterans of World War II should not overshadow that for the veterans of other wars. So, let us honor those who served in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, whose ranks also are thinning.

And let us also remember that our veterans face serious challenges not only on the battlefield but also on the home front. We have witnessed the inadequacy of health care for veterans, and fixing that system is a dire necessity. That is one more tangible way we can honor our veterans for their service.

One day is not enough to repay the debt we owe them. But let us do what we can to make this annual commemoration count and to make us aware throughout the year of how they have helped sustain the way of life we hold dear.

This story was originally published November 13, 2016 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Take a moment to honor our veterans."