By Greg Corrales
“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy course; who at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”
- President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
Veterans’ Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, and then known as “The Great War.” The war officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. Fighting ceased, however, seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918 is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
In November of 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress, at the urging of the American Legion and other veterans’ organizations, amended the holiday by replacing the word “Armistice” with the word “Veterans.” On June 1, 1954 November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
Many Americans confuse Veterans’ Day with Memorial Day. Memorial Day honors service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle. Deceased veterans are also remembered on Veterans Day, but the day is set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military, in wartime or peacetime.
I was assigned to my first station, Ingleside, on 1 January 1970. Eight other members of my academy class were also sent to Ingleside. Of course at that time we were all veterans. We used to marvel that many of the “old-timers” on the Day Watch were World War II veterans. World War II had ended 24 years earlier! Of course, as I write this, it has been over forty years since I served in Vietnam. For years it had been my tradition on Veterans Day to meet with my dear friend Mike Boyd. Mike and I would hoist a few in memory of our fallen comrades. This will be the second Veterans Day on which Mike is now one of those fallen comrades.
Veterans’ Day facts:
Female veterans – 1.8 million. 16% of Gulf War veterans.
Race and Origin – Black, 2.4 million.
Hispanic, 1.1 million.
Asian, 278,000, American Indian, 27,000.
Non-Hispanic White, 18.7 million.
When they served – 9.3 million veterans 65 and older, 1.9 million younger than 35.
7.9 million Vietnam-era veterans, who make up 33% of all living veterans, served during this time (1964-1975).
Disabilities – There are six million veterans with a disability.
Poverty – The percentage of veterans living in poverty is 5.7 percent. The corresponding rate for non-veterans is 12 percent.
By far, the career that veterans seek out upon completion of their service is criminal justice. Law enforcement officers that are veterans are continuing the service to this country and to our communities that we started while in the military. That is one of the reasons that every member of our Department that is a veteran should join the San Francisco Police-Fire Post of the American Legion. We are very anxious to have our newer veterans join the post, especially the female veterans who are very under-represented.
Harry Patch, the last British Army veteran of trench warfare in France during WWI, died July 25. He had a symbolic funeral on August 6 in his hometown of Wells, England. Patch was 111. British-born Claude Choules, who is 108, served in the Royal Navy in WWI and is the only other known survivor. The only surviving Doughboy in America is Frank W. Buckles, 108, of Charles Town, West Virginia.
Minnesota Vikings All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen is having a career-year so far this season. He is rich and famous, but he will be the first to tell you that he is not a hero. Allen spent part of the NFL off-season meeting U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Kuwait. The football star comes from a military family; his grandfather retired as a captain in the Marine Corps, and his younger brother graduated from Marine Corps boot camp in May.
When Allen was asked about heroism, he replied, “What I do does not make me a hero. I play a game for a living. I may have a chance to be a role model, but nothing I do is life or death. My livelihood doesn’t mean life or death for someone else. These guys in the military, they’re playing with live ammo. These guys are the real heroes.”
