Veterans Day: A Salute to the Guardians of the Republic

May God bless our veterans. May God bless those who currently serve. May God bless President Donald J. Trump. And may God bless the United States of America.

There are occasions in the American calendar that demand reverence rather than routine. Today, Veterans Day, is one of them. It is not a day of mere sentiment. It is a civic duty to acknowledge the men and women who stood in the breach for the survival of the United States of America.

Veterans Day began as Armistice Day. The First World War, that terrible cataclysm of the twentieth century, ended on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. One year later on November 11, 1919 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first national commemoration which continues to commemorate America military veterans to this day. In 1938 Congress made Armistice Day an official holiday dedicated to peace. After the Second World War and the Korean War, the holiday became known as Veterans Day in 1954 with a nod to Armistice Day’s original date. Its purpose was expanded to honor all who served rather than only those who fought in a war. This was a wise and noble change. It recognized that the defense of the Republic is a continuous calling.

Today there are approximately sixteen million veterans in the United States. Each one represents a chapter in the story of American strength. Some served on aircraft carriers in the Pacific. Others patrolled the snows of Korea. Many marched through the jungles of Vietnam. Others stood posts in Germany, Iraq, Afghanistan, and countless unnamed stations across the globe. Their service forms a living chain stretching from Lexington and Concord to the present hour.

A remarkable number of our presidents have worn the uniform. George Washington led the Continental Army. Andrew Jackson fought both the British and their tribal allies. Ulysses S. Grant crushed the Confederacy and preserved the Union. John F. Kennedy commanded PT 109 in the Pacific. Dwight D Eisenhower led the armies that broke the Nazi war machine.

George H. W. Bush flew combat missions in the Pacific as a teenager. Service in uniform does not guarantee greatness, but it often forges the clarity, discipline, and steel that leadership requires. Approximately two thirds of all presidents were veterans. That is not an accident. The stewardship of a nation is best entrusted to those who have already proven they will bleed for it.

There is something else unique about our veterans. Since 1973 the United States has had a one hundred percent volunteer military. No draft. No conscription. No coercion. Every soldier, every sailor, every Marine, every airman, and every guardian raised a hand and swore that sacred Oath of their own free will. The most powerful fighting force in human history is composed entirely of men and women who chose to serve. That is patriotism made real. That is devotion to the Republic of the United States of America not as an abstraction but as a sacred obligation accepted freely, willingly, and unreservedly.

On this Veterans Day President Donald J. Trump is honoring America’s warriors in a manner that reflects not only his gratitude but also his bond with them. Throughout his presidency he strengthened the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) after decades of bureaucratic neglect. He signed the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act so that corrupt or incompetent officials could be removed rather than shielded. He expanded veterans’ access to private medical care when the VA could not provide it. He secured the largest military pay raise in years and rebuilt America’s forces from the exhaustion of endless wars. Even out of office he remained a consistent advocate for veterans, attending ceremonies, visiting wounded service members, highlighting military families, and insisting that the nation must never abandon its warriors after they return home.

President Trump is loved by the military because he has always loved them first. Not with slogans. Not with platitudes. With his deeds. With his resources. With his respect. He listened to the enlisted as well as the generals. He recognized that a nation cannot be free if its defenders are ignored, underpaid, or mistreated. The rank and file know this. They know who fights for them, and they know who uses them as political decoration. The bond between President Trump and America’s veterans is real, enduring, and deeply felt.

Veterans Day matters because a Republic that forgets its defenders will not remain a Republic for long. Our freedoms did not descend from the clouds like gentle rain. They were earned by sacrifice, discipline, risk, and courage. Veterans understand that freedom has a price. Most civilians only enjoy the receipt.

On this Veterans Day I ask Americans to do more than post a phrase on social media. Speak to a veteran. Thank them directly for your freedom. Ask about their service. Remember those who never came home. Teach children that liberty survives only because stronger souls shield it.

The men and women who served did so without promise of reward or guarantee of safety. They stepped forward when others stood back. They did not ask whether America was perfect. They asked how they could defend her. That is the highest form of citizenship.

May God bless our veterans. May God bless those who currently serve. May God bless President Donald J. Trump. And may God bless the United States of America.