Lest we forget our past this Veterans Day

On Veterans Day 2001, we are waging war in Afghanistan. Today this national holiday is widely recognized as a celebration in honor of the 48 million Americans who have served in the military and the nearly one million who have died in combat or combat-related events. However, honoring veterans is traditionally only one aspect of Veterans Day. Historically, a major part of this holiday included advocating an end to all wars and recognizing that working for peaceful solutions was the best way to honor our veterans.

On the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, or the 11th month of 1918, World War I ended, and Woodrow Wilson declared the day as Armistice Day. In 1926, in a concurrent resolution enacted by Congress, Nov. 11 was recognized as a day that should be “commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations.”

In 1938, Congress declared Nov. 11 a legal holiday “dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated as Armistice Day” In 1954, after World War II and the Korean War, veterans’ organizations lobbied Congress to replace the word “Armistice” with “Veterans.” Despite the name change, the holiday was officially supposed to remain a commemoration of both veterans’ sacrifices and the continuing work toward world peace. The proclamation stated, “[L]et us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.” However, the replacement, while well intended, has unfortunately usurped the peaceful traditions of the holiday with an exclusive charge to honor veterans.

Working toward peace and ending wars was a major part of Armistice Day celebrations in our past. Many people echoed Woodrow Wilson’s understanding of war: “The only basis of peace is justice. I do not object to war because it is cruel and unjust, but because it is a clumsy and brutal instrument to get at justice.”

An editorial from the New York Herald Tribune on Armistice Day 1926 also read, “[I]f it is a folly to predict that the last war has been fought, it is equally a folly to sit back and accept war as the constant or permanent state of man.” The writer also remarked, “Nothing is more tedious than the development of justice through courts of law, yet here is clearly the most valuable foundation for increased security against war that can be devised.”

Such beliefs are held by many who opposed the current “war on terrorism.” The current peace movement advocates seeking justice through international courts, the United Nations and other peaceful diplomatic channels. The Bush administration fails to take the difficult path of actively seeking out peaceful solutions and does not recognize this as a failure. Only 26 days after Sept. 11, our military entered into active combat. An example of this unrecognized failure is the prideful statement Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi made on Nov. 5. Not mentioning any grief or regrets that we could not solve this conflict without war, Principi stated, “America’s new war against terrorists will make veterans of thousands more young people.”

Today, many feelings about Veterans Day are expressed through phrases such as “Freedom is not free,” and “Have you thanked a veteran today.” These phrases carry a lot of truth, but are often used as advocations of war. Indeed, freedom isn’t free. It requires citizens to be knowledgeable about local, national and world affairs. It requires hard work and resources put toward diplomacy and negotiation, but freedom does not require war. People should thank veterans for the many sacrifices they made to protect our freedoms. Ultimately, they should also thank them by working to prevent other wars and supporting peaceful solutions to international conflicts. Every time we cannot solve our problems peacefully through diplomacy or some other nonviolent channel, we are breaking faith with our veterans.

Veterans Day used to be a day for advocating peaceful solutions to conflict. It has now turned into a day of glorifying, or at least supporting, war. This year, it is being used to rally support of what could become another Cold War, if not a third world war. As a grieve for and honor the sacrifices made by veterans, I also grieve for and honor those veterans who have patriotically spoken out against war and/or are members or groups such as Veterans for Peace.

As I gather with others opposing the war in Afghanistan in front of the Federal Building on Harlow Street every Tuesday at 5 p.m., we are joined by a few courageous veterans. They are brave people who have seen the horrors of war and do no wish to see this war on terrorism “make veterans of thousands more young people.”

On Veterans Day 2001, we need to remember our past.

Rich Updegrove is a graduate student in American history at the University of Maine, a James Madison Foundation Fellow, and the son and nephew of veterans.