Photo credit: By The U.S. Army under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
No ceremony or parade can fully repay the country’s profound debt of gratitude to the patriots who fought and defended freedom for America and the entire world. This was stated in the presidential proclamation that U.S. President Barack Obama recently signed to mark this year’s commemoration of Veterans Day on November 11.
Federal holiday
Veterans Day is celebrated as a federal holiday. It is observed in the United States and everywhere in the world where there are living veterans or buried deceased veterans. The holiday started on November 11, 1919 when it was proclaimed as Armistice Day by then U.S. President Woodrow Wilson to remember the signing of the Armistice that brought an end to World War I. In his proclamation, Wilson said that the Americans would always take pride in the great bravery of those people who risked and gave their lives in service of the country in the preservation of freedom.
On June 4, 1926, Congress signed a resolution appealing to the president to make another proclamation for the celebration of November 11 as an appropriate occasion. In 1953 Al King, a shoe storeowner who took active part in the organization American War Dads during World War I began a campaign to convert Armistice Day into a holiday for all veterans. Thus on May 26, 1954 President Dwight Eisenhower approved the law upholding November 11 as Veterans Day.
Remembering each veteran
In this year’s Veterans Day proclamation, Obama highlighted that no veteran shall be ignored or forgotten. He also mentioned that the commemoration of the 2013 Veterans Day coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice. The president has pointed out that it is most fitting to acknowledge the contribution of those who sacrificed themselves in the said war. He likewise called on every American to continue remembering and honoring the injured, missing and fallen veterans. Obama further stated it is notable that while American military groups continue to diminish their presence in Afghanistan, the nation is ever ready to embrace the returning heroes by giving them the support and break they rightfully deserve.
Grateful nation
America is grateful to the veterans who dedicated themselves unselfishly under dangerous circumstances. While in action at war, these men and women stood and demonstrated what and how it is to be an American. With gratitude, their country upholds their well being by giving them the backing that they and their families need.
Special rights
Apart from the living assistance given by the government to veterans, the Veterans Employment and Training Service has been tasked to grant special rights and privileges to veterans in Federal civil service employment. The directives embodied in the agency’s manual charge the Veterans Recruitment Appointment Authority to permit various agencies to appoint, if they think fit, a veteran qualified to a position without competition.
Job opportunities
Returning American service men and women who are still able to take a role in the workforce are accorded much respect and care by the government as well as the private sector. They are given the chance to be useful citizens in the civil or military divisions so that they can contribute to the economy with their talents and skills. And because they spent a part of their lives fighting for the country, they will not, under any circumstance, fight for their own employment when they wish to seek for it.