Thank You for Your Service
Today is Veterans Day. Not Veterans’ Day or Veteran’s Day. No, this is not when we honor those who have died in battle or from wounds sustained during service—that’s Memorial Day. Wishing a living soldier a Happy Memorial Day is definitely a faux pas.
My grandparents always referred to this day as Armistice Day as it was their parents and grandparents who fought in World War I. But the war to end all wars didn’t live up to its name. It seems each generation has had their own war since then—WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam, Bay of Pigs, Grenada, Desert Storm, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Libya. As the conflicts pile up, many soldiers now have the distinction of participating in multiple theaters.
So to honor all who have served and are still on active duty, in 1954 Congress changed the holiday’s name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day. In 1968 it was added to the list of three-day weekend holidays designed to stimulate the economy and changed to the last Monday in October. But Americans didn’t take kindly to this change. It was our last Vice President turned President (albeit through a corrupt President’s impeachment and resignation) who set Veterans Day back to its proper place on the calendar—November 11th—starting in 1978 and that’s where it’s been ever since.
Veterans Day is not an American only observance as it originally signified the Allied Powers signing a cease fire agreement with Germany. Belgium, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria all have their own versions of Armistice, Veterans, and Remembrance holidays.
My life had been filled with veterans. From my childhood neighbor, the WWII veteran who survived Normandy to the amputee who lost his leg to an IED in Afghanistan undergoing experimental surgery at Walter Reed last year. Some gladly share their experiences while others tuck difficult memories away in boxes only to be discovered after they pass.
Being a market vendor in the DC area has offered opportunities to serve veterans in ways only a farmer can. Several years ago a fellow vendor’s relative contacted me about roasting a goat. Not wanting to get back into catering as that part of my life had long passed, I politely declined. Turned out he was a West Point graduate. He and his buddies wanted me to roast a goat for their tailgate fundraiser at the big Army-Navy football game. For that, the catering equipment came out of storage. A tall gentleman in a long dress Navy coat with lots of shiny brass was ushered by his buddies over my way to have their picture taken with the roasting effigy of their mascot on the spit. His face lit up as he said, “You’re my farmer! My wife and I shop at the Bethesda market.” And he still does as I’ve seen his name on Farm-to-Fridge orders.
Throughout the years veterans have made my day many times over at the market. When I helped to start a market in downtown Carlisle near the U.S. Army War College, it was the students at the International Peacekeeping School who showed up weekly in search of ingredients for a taste of home, many unfamiliar with the concept of American groceries stores and much happier to meet the folks who were growing the food.
The solemnity of Veterans Day always leaves me asking myself what I can do other than say Thank you for your service and writing a check to nonprofits like the one that builds adaptive homes for injured veterans and others who retrain soldiers to be farmers. There are 364 days in which our veterans still need our support, be it through patronizing veteran-owned businesses or becoming actively involved in supportive organizations.
Today we recognize all the men and women who wear the uniforms of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and the National Guard—our customers, our fellow vendors—to you, thanks for the hard work and sacrifices you’ve made for this country and our world.