VETERANS DAY 2011
Today, we honor America’s Veterans and celebrate their contributions to our way of life. Few have given more to our Nation than the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces in peace and in war.
The origins of Veterans Day were born at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 that major hostilities of World War I were formally ended. It is appropriate now, in 2011, that we remember that this day when peace was achieved honors the the sacrifices made on behalf of the American people, on behalf of their hopes and the American dream.
Generation after generation—from Bunker Hill and Bennington to Baghdad and Abbottabad—protected, defended, and preserved the principles and ideals that define our democracy. Across that remarkable sweep of history, today’s America was shaped at Lexington and Concord, Antietam and Gettysburg, in the skies over Midway, on the beaches of Normandy, in winter’s grip at Chosin Reservoir, in the heat of Ia Drang Valley, from the Persian Gulf into Afghanistan and Iraq by those who wore our Nation’s uniforms.
Over twenty-two million living Veterans today embody our exceptional character and values as a people—each a line in our Nation’s history, but together many chapters towards today’s future.
It’s a day to honor all American Veterans, and a day to say thank you.
Updated 2010:
In addition to our publication posted in previous years, we invite readers to be a part of the Veteran’s Oral History Project. Be a witness to the sacrifice of American service men & women by reading, listening, or watching as they recount their experience serving America….And maybe be a part by helping to build this natural resource of information by conducting an interview with an American veteran. The Library of Congress Veteran History Project National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey Local veteran websites:Franklin Lakes VFW, Oakland American Legion Originally published 2008….the sentiment is timeless. 
The nation faces enormous challenges in the years ahead, and the present economic crisis is a paramount concern in the minds of many Americans. Veterans Day is an opportunity to reflect on sacrifices much greater than that measured in dollars and cents. Veterans Day was originally know as Armistice day, and was chosen because of the official end of WWI took place in the eleventh month, on the eleventh day, in the eleventh hour. Dwight Eisenhower transformed the national holiday to Veterans day to honor those who fought in all American wars. This video compilation incorporates the majority of major American military conflicts in the last century. The sacrifice of troops committed to Bosnia, Haiti, Panama, and other parts of the globe may not be represented with a video, but the efforts of all American troops the world over are remembered on this sacred day. Many of the more recent videos represented here were created by the soldiers who served in a specific conflict, The Journal thanks them for their service to country and for making these videos available. The video tributes appear in chronological order. Video #1 is a tribute to WWI soldier, video #2 to WWII; video#3 to the Korean War; video #4 to Vietnam soldiers; video #5 to Desert Storm, video #6 to veterans of Somalia; video #7 to the soldiers in Afghanistan; and, video #8 is a special tribute to soldiers fighting in Iraq and the complicated mission they face as they seek to provide security and earn the respect of the Iraqi people. 1_____2 3_____4 5_____6 7_____8