Veterans Day Origin
The very first Veterans Day celebration happened in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1947. Raymond Weeks, a WW2 vet, began National Veterans Day as we know it. This event included activities such as a parade to celebrate and honor all Veterans.
Originally, Veterans Day was called, “Armistice Day” which began on November 11, 1918, at the end of World War I. Everyone loved this idea and it continued. However, in 1968, a law was passed to change the date to the fourth Monday of October. Yet in 1978, Congress revoked the law and returned the day back to November 11th due to the large historical significance tied to World War I ending at 11 AM on 11/11.
Real Experiences In The Military
My father Anthony Steven Merdian, was in the Air Force for 8 years. From October 1995 to October 2003, and did not regret a single second of it. In fact, he stated that if he had one regret, it was leaving the Air Force when he did, thinking the grass was greener on the “civilian side”.
When he entered the Air Force, he went to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX, for basic training. After, he went to Sheppard Air Force Base for tech school, where he trained for his career in POL (Petroleum Oil and Lubricants). Upon completion, his first home station was Whiteman Air Force Base in Knob Noster, Missouri. From there, he spent his career at several other bases around the world and TDY’s (Temporary Duty Locations). Before all of this, however, he had the tough decision of why. This is what he said everyone should ask themselves before they make the rewarding commitment. This was his answer: “My whole life, I had always been intrigued by aircraft. Unfortunately, I was not afforded the opportunity to further my education through university. So, at a crossroads, I decided I would enter the United States Air Force for many reasons. Like curiosity, travel, experience, excitement, career path, and more.” Anthony also slides in, “And I scored a 96 on my ASVAB, so the sky was the limit.” During his time in the United States Air Force, he impressively performed fuel servicing operations, as well as manufacturedgenics (liquid oxygen) for many aircraft such as B-2 Stealth Bomber, A-10 Warthogs, F-15S, F-16, and T-38s. My father said his experience was rewarding, yet difficult at times, mentally and physically. However, the benefits, camaraderie, sense of duty, pride, and doing something few people will have the opportunity to do far outweighed the negatives. The negatives, however, were harsh. His worst experience in the military was the bombing of Khobar Towers in 1996 at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, during Operation Southern Watch. 19 Air and issued cryoForce personnel were killed by a bomb detonated by Hezbollah in front of his eyes. Yet even after this, he persevered and experienced so many endearing moments- especially whenn and was part of that mission on the flight line. However, one of the most rewarding experiences, he says, would be being a part of the 509th Supply Squadron when the 14 home-stayed B-2 Stealth bombers were promoted to full operational capabilities at Whiteman Air Force Base. Of course, there were bad moments, but there were good ones, he had a missio too. They were funny, stressful, difficult, and prideful moments that no one could ever take away.
Events
Veterans Day has many events across the world. Including near you! On November 9th you can head down to support Veterans by running for the 2nd Shelli Huether Veterans Day Honor Run, Carolinas Veterans Festival, or you can always write some comforting cards thanking people for their service! On November 11th, however, there are many events including the Veterans Day Program at Boone Mall, VFW Post 6908 Fundraiser at 5500 Roan Creek Road in Mountain City, and of course Mountain Home National Cemeteries service. If you can honor those who served and protected then you definitely should.
Homeless Veterans
Veterans constantly have issues with mental health and PTSD, unfortunately, there isn’t enough support to go around. VA Office of Research and Development says, “The homelessness rate for the entire Veteran population is about 3.7 percent over a five-year period. Veterans who were unmarried or diagnosed with a drug use disorder were more than twice as likely to become homeless as others.” It is sad, yet a fact, that thousands of homeless veterans served our country. However, you can now pay them back by assisting them this Veterans Day. There are so many opportunities to help.
Ways to Help Homeless Veterans
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans says you can help homeless Veterans by supporting emergency shelters, volunteering as a counselor, volunteering at stand-down programs, and developing homeless veteran burial programs. All of these ways are great for helping and even getting volunteer hours for school. Go out this Veterans Day and just thank someone for their service. And if you have someone in your family who has served, I highly encourage you to ask them some questions. It may be more intriguing than you think.