Our View: Friday is the day to ‘thank a vet’

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Programs that have been developed to assist veterans must be protected

If you are reading this editorial -- written by a free citizen in a free country -- then thank a veteran. Friday we recognize the contributions of our nation's military veterans -- those who served in both war and peace, stateside and abroad.

The local ceremony is at the St. Croix County Government Center, Friday, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m. The guest speaker is Commander Charles Altman, USN (retired). A special event at the ceremony will be the presentation to the family of a North Hudson man killed in World War II. Seaman Eugene Richie was killed in the South Pacific in October 1944 but the family never received his six medals, including the Purple Heart. The medals will be presented to his brother, Louis Richie. The event is organized by the VFW-Post 2115, American Legion Post 50 and VVA Chapter and Indianhead Chapter of the POW-MIA.

As we honor all veterans tomorrow, remember that the wars that America’s veterans have fought were, on the most basic level, new struggles against many of humanity’s old enemies. History repeats itself and tells us that dangerous regimes are not new. Our survival in that dangerous world has been secured by the men and women we honor on Veterans Day.

Today we are still a country at war. Hundreds of thousands of our nation's "best and brightest" young men and women have volunteered to place themselves in harm's way. It's up to us to also recognize the debt of gratitude to these future "veterans."

Members of the armed forces from active, guard and reserve units are being asked to serve in conflicts abroad in Afghanistan, or Iraq, or to serve in our homeland. Like the veterans who have served in earlier wars and conflicts, today's defenders of freedom are deserving of our respect and gratitude.

Our veterans and current troops should have our unwavering support. We must give nothing less. At the same time, programs that have been developed to assist veterans -- including the new soldiers fighting our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- must be protected. We simply cannot try to balance the federal budget on the backs of veterans

Friday we pay tribute to those brave men and women who were willing to fight on our behalf. We pray for our troops in battle today and express our gratitude to the veterans who fought in previous battles.

God Bless America!

Tags: opinion, editorials, military