OCR Text |
Show A Day For All Americans The DESERET SAMPLER, Fri., ov. 7, 1969 Veterans Day is a day for all Americans. It is a day to pause to acknowledge the respect and admiration we have for our veterans. It is a day to honor those veterans who dic'd in struggle. It is a day to respect those who survive. In a proclamation urging all Americans to join in commemorating today as Veterans Day, President Richard Nixon reminds us that - "From Valley Forge to Vietnam, American servicemen have responded to their nation's call to duty." million living AmThere arc1 today some twenty-seve- n erican veterans. We carry in our memory alxnit ten million inure now resting in peace, more than a million of whom had their lives cut short while in military service. million AmeriWe assemble, then, to honor forty-onmen and women of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and cans who have borne arms in Marine Corps living and dead defense of freedom. Nearly five million Americans participated in World War One, The War to laid All Wars. Fighting ended at 11 a.m. on Noveinlicr 11. 19 IS, under an armistice' signed between the e allies and Germany. Two years later, France and England chose Noveinlicr 11, then known generally as Armistice Day, as the time for placing an unknown soldier of World War One in each nation's highest place of honor. France chose the Arc De Trioinphe. England selected Westminster Alihev. The next year, on Noveinlicr 11, 1921, an American soldier whose name was Know'll Only to God" was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Until 1954 Armistice Day was the occasion for tribute only to the dead of World War One. On June I. 1954, ConSince then gress changed Armistice Day to Veterans Day. it has liccn a time for honoring the service of all veterans of Cl JOE (Photo by SSgt Ron Smith, USAF) all wars. Significantly, in 195S, two more unidentified American war dead were brought to Arlington Cemetery from overseas and interred beside tbe World War One soldier. One was killed in World War Two, the oilier in Korea. To honor the three, symbolic of all Americans who gave their lives, an Army Honor Guard keeps day and night vigil. and Our veterans syinlxli.c the idealism, faith that are part of our heritage. Prevalent in our heritage are the human qualities of bravery', compassion, imagination, all qualities needed in the pursuit industry and ingenuity and establishment of lasting peace. To these must lie added the quality of patriotism. Not only the short, freuied bursts of emotion, but especially the steady dedication of a lifetime. The love of country that galvanizes into effective action other human qualities in time of war or in time of peace. There is something noble alioiit what these men (and women) have dime. They have served their country. They served, and many died, simply liecause they loved this land and that for which it stands. They were consequently imbued with the overriding sense of loyalty which such love naturally e, be-get- s. motivation patriotism and equate it to citizenship. It is, then, the patriotism of our veterans that commends them to us and it is because of their patriotism that we honor them. W'e DUTY CALLS such call good RETURN FROM CAPTIVITY (Photo by PFG John Gorman. USN) General Westmoreland says of the soldier: I can confidently predict that from his ranks in the years ahead will come the confidence, alert, intelligent citizens and leaders who will make this nations future greater than its past. I say this, first of all, because I sincerely believe he will he much more willing and able to assume his role in his community than when he left. No soldier in history has ever liecu given a more comprehensive and exacting mission then has the American soldier of today. By his resourcefulness, versatility, and courage, he continues to reflect the heritage of 191 years of service a heritage that grows brighter each year. Hie men and women who are carrying the responsibility of military service today draw inspiration from the record of all Americans who have served our country liefore them a record to which the veterans here today, and those who have died on a hundred battlefields, have made such a distinguished contribution. It is therefore proper that we honor the veterans who have done so much to preserve our nation and to uphold her ideals. In doing so, we rightly express nur appreciation for the great achievements of the past; lint, moreover, we rededieate ourselves and renew our strength to meet successfully the responsibilities and dangers which lie liefore us. We make this Veterans Day, then, a commemoration id the past, an acknowledgement of the present, and a pledge for the future, as we work togetlicr for worid peace. We value the lives of our men and are willing to spend the amount of time and immey necessary to minimize their risk. Rut the hard fact must be faced that war cannot lie fought without the active and wholesale participation of Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen. It will always lie necessary for man to confront man And sometimes eyeball there must always lie human intelligence to drive the tank, aim the missile, and plan the next move. But from the expression of these sentiments, by the endorsement of the soldier's historic role, it should not be inferred that Americans are warmongers. It has eloquently been said that the soldier, while preparing for war, prays for peace. In fact, soldiers today not only pray, but work for peace. The role of the soldier in today's Army is a complex and demanding one, much more is expected of him than simply to be an instrument of destruction. In addition to his primary mission of being ready to fight, the American soldier of tixlay is frequently required to lie a teacher, a humanitarian, a linguist, and a diplomat. lie must understand the people among whom he lives around the world and must study their problems especially in underis to nations. He service in all perforin required developed sorts of civic action programs, from assistance in agriculture and public health to riot control and flood relief. lie must pro-- What Is A Soldier? They come from every big city and small town in this country of ours. Duty calls them to Europe, Africa, and Vietnam. They are found in clulrs, coinlwt, sometimes on base and always in debt. Constantly overworked, they hardly ever find time to sleep (even on a three day pass). Girls love them, towns tolerate them, governments support them. kid; and he is A soldier is kindness when he gives his last dime to a skinny fleckled-fac- e PLAYBOY of with his he enters into copy bravery as he lays his life on the line when shirt. tucked under his lie has the energy of a turtle, the shyness of a fox, the sincerity of a lion and the aspirations of a Casanova. lie dislikes making formations, talking alxmt his rihlxms and eating lrs, lttle Army chow. It is impossible to forget that cultivated knak he has for lieing only 5 minutes late. Impossible to forget that mischievous smile, and impossible to understand his devotion to his buddies. No one but a soldier can cram all this in his pocket; a lighter without fluid, a pack of crushed cigarettes, I.D. card, church key, dog tags, two girlie pictures, chewing gum, a bulgof his girls lack home, five keys on a ring, a letter ing waller (devoid of money), a picture from home, a letter he should have mailed 5 days ago, and enough of yesterdays pay for one cup of coffee. He is a magic creature liecause you can lock him out of your house, but not out of your heart. You can scratch him off your mailing list, but not off your mind. You might as well home lover and your one and only bleainy-eycgood for give up he is your dreams liecome insignificant when he winks shattered all Yet of huddled your worry. nothing at you with those blood-sheyes and with a sheepish grin says, Hil Did you miss me? d, m Mr. Clarence Mahoney a teacher at Dugway High, like VIETNAM BLOOD DRIVE and other civilian military personnel of the Deseret Test ('enter paid a trip to the many officers' club last week as the Dtigwayi U.S. Army Hospital conducted a blood drive for tbe soldiers in Vietnam. The drive was sponsored by the Red Cross. ot vide the people of those nations with an intelligent understanding of our way of life and of the reasons for our presence among them. He must lie a worthy representative of our nation. And he is. On this Veterans Day we should remind ourselves that military obligations are an inseparable part of our heritage, that military service in time of tlie nation's need is a fundamental responsibility of citizenship. One of our great American philosophers, George Santayana, has reflected that "Only the dead are safe; only the dead have seen the end of war. While we may hope that conclusion is wrong, we cannot afford to assume so. Certainly war has always hieen hellish and modem war especially so. If we' lack the courage to stand finn for our beliefs, or if we lack lielicfs we are determined to uphold, then we do?, not deserve the lieritage which is ours, and we are unworthy of the sacrifices our veterans have made for us. They believed in the worth of our country's people and traditions; in the right of men to lilierty and the pursuit of happiness, as well as'1 life. They lived by their faith in those things. They kept faith with their country and with us who follow. It is now our turn' " to keep the faith. We must maintain the will, courage, and strength necessary to keep our country free. As always, the basic source of any power we muster is individual soldier. I sometimes feel we lose sight of the fact that it is the individual that counts the most in this age of technology and automation. The thought that a war might lie fought and won by technicians pushing buttons, instead of soldiers squeezing triggers, is an especially seductive one for people who respect human life as much as Americans do. from the ancient world to the Throughout history present patriotism has been an essential quality among peo- - ' pie who have made for themselves a place in history as great or as nations at all. Fruin the earliest colonial days, nations our laud of virgin forests, fertile soil, rich mineral deposits, and unsurpassed natural licauty inspired the settlers with pride and love. After our War of Independence those affections were wedded to a respect, or reverence, for those alistract values which are so lieautifully and succinlly expressed in the Preamble to our Constitution: The ideas of liberty and law, of freedom and of duly. Patriotism has always been the liasic quality underlying the American will, courage, and strength which have made us a great and free nation. We profit immediately from our observation that the common quality which led our veterans to the liattlefield and which unites them tixlay is patriotism, for there are influences , in our tixlay which tend to erode that fundamental value, or civic virtue. Our veterans were motivated liy patrio- - ,. tisin: by a love of their country and a consequent desire to . fulfill their duty to it. We must reniemlx'r that they rendered ' their service for that reason, anil not to enjoy the rewards and praises which their countrymen would later liestow. And we, their fellow citizens must recognize that we do not discharge our obligation to them with laurels and eulogies Our veterans constitute a living reminder of duty is to both to them and our country our duly honor that performance, surely; but more important, to draw inspiration from it and to pay our debt to them in kind; by securing the future of our posterity. Knowing, then, that the obligation to country which our veterans symbolize comprehends (last, present, and future, it is necessary that we remind ourselves of what they did and continue to do. anil what we. as their fellow citizens must do for our country for them, for ourselves, and for future generations. What is it that our veterans have duties In the simplest terms, as we have said liefore. they have served their country. When the tilings we all love were threatened, they left their homes anil families anil endured the privation, hardship, danger. and death which war has always brought. They left the peaceful pursuits of the farm, the factors, and the office arid dedicated their talents, energies, and lives to serving their country: anil it is as soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and servicewomen that vve honor them. They represent a cross section of the nation, in that they are found in all walks of life. They are Vmerican servicemen who served houorablv and well, but who cannot consider their duty done. Some are still in active service, some are members of our reserve components, mauv. while pursuing their civilian cinplov incuts, are active in our mauv tine veterans organizations. All of these organizations demonstrate that our service-.- , men do not shed their alriotism with their uniform that patriotism is nothing less than good citizenship. Such organizations give vigorous supxirt to the task nt keeping America , strong. Their actions, in concert with the continuing support., of other conscientious citizens across the nation, reflect the national will to maintain .and ileleud our wav of life. ' stx-ict- The Credit Union Umbrella Man Saving it tha kay to independence! Start saving today at the credit union where cave yourfnoneyworki .t- 'l 1 TJ 0 - . ' X t , i I ' tv; XL; , tP ' - .. w ,s asst t, - S - Vs I Q UNCONCERNED (Dioto bv PFC Daniel S. Dodd, USN) - NOV. II, lfKM This was the scene last Veteran's Day at ('amp Floyd State Park cctne-terv- , Fairfield. Utah. Sp4 Charles I .c Marsh of HIIC plavx taps and the firing wmad presents arms in memory of some fellow Americans. Headquarters and Headquarters Company will he providing troops this year too for the memorial oliscrvation which is annually sponsored by Dugway s American legion Post 131. (Photo hy SP5 Eugene Donovan) You receive generous dividends because credit union members work, loan and save for profit together-n- ot not for qharity but for mutual sendee. bs more profitable laving at your Credii Union. Dugway Federal 2 Credit Union - You are lure to 522-257- |