Thanks to my father John Kenneth Edstrom who did two tours of duty in Vietnam as an officer in the Air Force. My father is also in the very unique category in that he was awarded TWO BRONZE STARS for the two tours of duty for his countless acts of bravery in his two years in Vietnam. The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service.
Thanks to my
cousin Chris Edstrom who has done two tours of duty in Iraq and three
in
Afghanistan and who is doing work back to both countries now as a
contractor. Thanks to Dr. Harry Foxwell, Brad Kirley, Bruce Adams and
Paul Warndorf
for their service to our country.
History of Veterans Day as stated at TimeAndDate.com
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 an armistice between Germany and the Allied nations came into effect. On November 11, 1919, Armistice Day was commemorated for the first time. In
1919, President Wilson proclaimed the day should be "filled with solemn
pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and
with gratitude for the victory". There were plans for parades, public meetings and a brief suspension of business activities at 11am.
In
1926, the United States Congress officially recognized the end of World
War I and declared that the anniversary of the armistice should be
commemorated with prayer and thanksgiving. The Congress also requested
that the president should "issue a proclamation calling upon the
officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government
buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to
observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with
appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples."
An
Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) was approved on May 13,
1938, which made November 11 in each year a legal holiday, known as
Armistice Day. This day was originally intended to honor veterans of
World War I. A few years later, World War II required the largest
mobilization of service men in the history of the United States and the
American forces fought in Korea. In 1954, the veterans service
organizations urged Congress to change the word "Armistice" to
"Veterans". Congress approved this change and on June 1, 1954, November
11 became a day to honor all American veterans, where ever and whenever
they had served.
In 1968 the Uniforms Holiday Bill
(Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) made an attempt to move Veterans Day
to the fourth Monday of October. The bill took effect in 1971. However,
this caused a lot of confusion as many states disagreed with this
decision and continued to hold Veterans Day activities on November 11.
In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat.
479), which stated that Veterans Day would again be observed on November
11 from 1978 onwards. Veterans Day is still observed on November 11.
Harry
Foxwell always would send out a nice email to Sun employees (and I
imagine others). Two years ago, he asked the question:
Do you know where your veterans are?
Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/visitor_information/tomb_of_the_unknowns.html
National World War II Memorial: http://www.wwiimemorial.com/
Marine Corps Memorial: http://www.nps.gov/archive/gwmp/usmc.htm
US Navy Memorial: http://www.navymemorial.org/
Air Force Memorial: http://www.airforcememorial.org/
Korean War Veterans Memorial: http://www.nps.gov/kowa//index.htm
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: http://www.nps.gov/vive/index.htm
Vietnam Women's Memorial: http://www.visitingdc.com/memorial/vietnam-women%27s-memorial.htm
Iraq Veterans Memorial: http://iraqmemorial.org/
Department of Veterans Affairs: http://www.va.gov/
