Veterans Day, 2013

Veterans deserve our utmost respect and appreciation. They deserve thunderous applause, standing ovations, and more for what they’ve done. They are given this day of commemoration to recognize their valor -- but a day isn’t enough. Veterans deserve our praise on this and every day of the calendar year. You’ve likely read many status updates, Facebook “shares” and Twitter “retweets” regarding this year’s Veterans Day. These sentiments deserve to be spread as far as they can go across the net, for without the sacrifices given selflessly by our servicemembers, we could not enjoy the many freedoms and benefits that we hold today. Criticism of how our society functions, its role in our lives, and our nation’s role in global activities will undoubtedly continue. Those criticisms deserve to be heard, and should righteously be made. There are wars and events we don’t necessarily need to intervene in militarily, and it is our duty as citizens to debate the merits of our involvement in conflicts as they arise. With that said, the veterans of our wars deserve to be commended, regardless of where they served. It wasn’t their decision to fight overseas in this conflict or that one; they served regardless of where the nation’s geopolitical stance was. They didn’t sign up to fight; they signed up to defend. They signed up because of a strong sense of duty, towards keeping our nation safe, and for that we must show our immense gratitude. It takes a special kind of person to dedicate a portion of their lifetime so that others can live ordinary, free lives. For that, we should dedicate our lives to ensuring our veterans know that we don’t take them for granted, that we understand what they’ve given so that we can pursue our happiness. We cannot thank them enough for what they’ve done.