Thank you!

It was a different kind of world in 1918. Woodrow Wilson was our 28th President. Postage stamps were two cents, a loaf of bread cost a dime and a gallon of gasoline was eight cents. An epidemic of Spanish flu ravaged the country, causing more than 500,000 deaths.

Some of the popular songs were Over There; ‘Til We Meet Again; There’s a Long, Long Trail A-Winding; Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag. These tunes were reminiscent of partings, sadness, hope; you see, the world was at war.

But, on November 11, 1918, the eleventh day of the eleventh month at eleven o’clock in the morning, hope brightened the Nation. The armistice between the Allies of World War I and Germany was signed.

The war had been known as The Great War, the War to End All Wars and this is what people thought. No more wars. Wrongs had been righted. Everything would be all right from here on. Sadly, this was not the case.

Brave men and women have always rallied to protect their beloved country from tyranny. Freedom is a precious thing; its value cannot be measured in dollars and cents but in dedication, determination, faith, sacrifice, and blood, in the valor of young lives ready to take up arms in defense of their homes and the ones they love.

Today, we celebrate Veterans Day to honor all those who have defended freedom, not only in the first World War but in the wars that followed. In my own family, they include my husband Wesley Manos, brothers Tracy, Thurman, and Richard Day, brother-in-law Ray Cartwright, and nephew Clinton Lee Day. Also, my Uncle Everett who served in WWI.

Thank you seems frail and weak compared with their sacrifice, but it is the least I can do. America is free and our Republic continues today because of those who served. Thank you!