Celebrating Veterans Day on LI

Every Nov. 11, Americans honor the patriotism and sacrifices of those who have served our country, celebrating Veterans Day with a range of ceremonies, dedications and other events. In Rockville Centre, nobody takes Veterans Day more seriously than American Legion Post 303 leader Frank Colon Jr.

“To me, it means we acknowledge all the men and women who served for our country and for all who have given up so much for us,” said Colon, 64, who enlisted in the United States Army in 1972.

Former Post 303 leader Joe Scarola, 72, who served in the Navy from 1965 to 1969, echoed a similar sentiment. To him, the holiday means, “recognizing the sacrifices made by our veterans… even the guys that came back but gave up two, four, six years of their lives who could have been home.”

For the soldiers who have returned from recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, they consider that lost time to be their greatest sacrifice. Iraq veteran Bob Kipp thinks the day “symbolizes service and giving of yourself the one resource that everyone only gets once,” he said. “The most precious time…their youth.”

The signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, in Versailles, France, officially marked the end of World War I. Germany and the Allied nations had stopped fighting several months earlier when an armistice, or ceasefire, went into effect in the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month — Nov. 11, 1918.

President Woodrow Wilson named Nov. 11 Armistice Day in 1919, saying, “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory …”

In 1938, Armistice Day became a legal holiday, primarily to honor World War I veterans. After World War II and the Korean War, however, “Veterans” replaced “Armistice” in 1954 to acknowledge American veterans of all wars.

President Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day Proclamation in October 1954, saying, “On that day, let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.”

This Veterans Day, think how much soldiers have given up for their service. For Kipp, “Instead of going to parties and hanging out with friends we were conducting operations and training to protect the way of life others sometimes take for granted.”