Honoring Our Veterans

Today is Veterans Day and we celebrate and the work, life and sacrifices of our men and women in uniform.

In 1919, President Wilson “proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: ‘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, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…’ The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business,” (VA.gov).

Nearly a century later, one veteran offered his view of this day and its new meaning for him:

All of a sudden, Veterans Day had a new meaning for me–I understood in an instant, where those men and women in uniform came from as a child. The day was still full of all of the great things I remembered growing up, but now it meant more coming from the other side of the parade line. I was fighting for others, fighting for my loved ones back home, and mostly fighting for the men and women beside me.

Today, for me, it is a day of reflection; a day to remember where I’ve been and what I’ve done for my country–what we’ve done. It’s a day to celebrate the camaraderie that we share as brothers and sisters in arms–a collective cultural mindset that we are a part of something greater than ourselves, Ryan Weemer.

Explore.org does work we are very proud of with veterans and most of our viewers are probably most familiar with our Dog Bless You Live Cams. Many of these pups are specifically trained to be partners for veterans. You can learn more about that work here and see more short films in our collections honoring our veterans including the training of service dogs, a fly fishing workshop that connects nature and healing for people with PTSD, and an open discussion between Charlie and Christian Ellis and Joe Gracia to talk about the life after wartime.