Commemorating Veterans Day 2025

  At airports around the USA we often see greeters welcoming overseas military transport coming and going.
  The tradition was started at the airports during Operation Desert Storm, and has continued in some quarters ever since.
  In Bangor, Maine, USA, The Maine Troop Greeters Organization reaches out at entry and departure points where many of our troops stationed around the world pass through via military flights.
  Here the warmth and devotion for our troops is extended by a dedicated group of senior citizens.
  These folks do the right thing in person at the airport, showing the love and respect for our troops.
  Once upon a time, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the first Veteran’s Day was observed in America to honor all the people that served in World War I—the war to end all wars.
  Although wars have certainly not ended, and since 1918, when WW I ceased fire, there have been multiple hundreds of occurrences of conflict, we can and will still celebrate the lives of those we lost and love and give thanks this day to all who serve.
  My Grandfather, now gone longer than I knew him, served in WW I.
  My Dad, also departed, served in WW II.
  I did 13 months at U.S. government expense, prowling around the jungles of Southeast Asia while in Vietnam.
  The two elders in our family never talked much about war, although my Dad would often recall his time flying around inside the U.S. Navy F4U Corsair.
  I have always talked about Vietnam, and believe that while we should support our troops, we also must find an alternative to sending our young people into the meat grinder, which is the ultimate end game for any war.
  However we feel about war, it’s important while we observe Veteran’s Day, that we never forget as Americans to honor and care for our own.
Geoffrey Arend