A day to say thanks to our veterans

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By Nancy Arnold

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Two hundred twenty-five years ago, 57 men who longed for peace and freedom risked their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor by signing the Declaration of Independence. The immortal words of the Declaration's second paragraph say it all:

We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Those noble sentiments of 1776 are realized today thanks to the willingness of men and women, good and true, to take up arms in common defense of our nation's freedom. Today we see our most basic principles and ideals threatened by people who disdain our democratic, pluralistic way of life, who despise our principles, our ideals and our values, and who believe there is only one way to live: their way.

They have attacked our nation, and now they pay the price. They cannot -- and will not -- prevail.

I know they will fail, because I trust in the legacy our veterans have left throughout our country's history. Time and time again, ordinary people have served America in extraordinary ways so that all who live in this great nation can enjoy the pursuit of happiness our Founding Fathers envisioned.

From the tumultuous events leading to the Declaration of Independence to the insidious threats we face in our communities today, generation of Americans have come forward to protect our great democracy when it has been threatened. From the beleaguered patriots encamped at Valley Forge to our men and women in uniform today at the point of the spear in what President Bush has called America's new war, each generation has done its part to bequeath to the next a strong and free America.

Today we reflect, remember and honor those brave Americans who have been willing to serve our nation in uniform. Since our nation's founding, 48 million men and women have served America in military uniform. More than one million were lost in battle. And more than a million and a half were wounded. Of the 25 million U.S. veterans living today, 75 percent served during times of war. They are your fathers, uncles, aunts grandparents, teachers and ordinary citizens, just like you, who did extraordinary things for all of us.

This Veterans Day has special meaning. Just two months ago we suffered through a national tragedy. The senseless and brutal acts we witnessed will forever be seared in our personal and national memories.

Through history, our nation's mettle has been tested and tempered many times in the raging fires of war, from Valley Forge to Gettysburg, from Pearl Harbor to Kuwait.

The flags and banners we see waving proudly around the country -- on bridges and streets, in store windows and homes -- show the depth of our national unity. We unite even as we face a ruthless enemy who deals in stealth and disguise, an adversary who lurks nameless in global shadows.

The unity that is America springs from one cause: freedom. The unity that is America recognizes only three colors: red, white and blue. And the unity that is America draws its power and strength from the many who have become one.

The battles in America's new war are just beginning at home and abroad. It is a fight we must win.

At the Department of Veterans Affairs, every day is Veterans Day. We trace our very existence to President Abraham Lincoln's devotion to veterans and his steadfast belief that their service must be justly recognized by a grateful nation. During the Civil War, Lincoln voiced what has become a basic belief of the American people:

All that a man hath will he give for his life; and while all contribute of their substance, the soldier puts his life at stake, and often yields it up in his country's cause. The highest merit, then, is due the soldier.

Today, Veterans Day 2001, our country rightfully offers its full measure of gratitude to citizens who wore the uniforms of our armed services. Veterans -- all veterans -- preserved this country and helped it grow. They have protected it throughout our history.

And so must we, whether we serve in the military or go on with our private lives. We are all soldiers in this new war against terrorism. Our weapons are vigilance and caution and unity in our abiding understanding of the principles, concepts and history which have made us a nation.

As our nation's armed forces rid the world of a new kind of foe, one who makes no distinction between armies and civilians, we must grow closer to one another, closer to our country and closer to a true awareness of what it is we are in danger of losing. The more we understand this great nation and the proud history of its veterans, the more we will appreciate it, and the harder we will fight to preserve it.

May God bless our men and women in uniform. May God bless our veterans. May God bless the United States of America.

Nancy Arnold is the director of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo.