Veteran’s Day
November 11th, 2014
As part of our Chapel service today at Christ School, Headmaster Paul Krieger honored Veteran's Day and recognized members of the Christ School community who have served in our armed forces.
"Today is November 11th. For some of you, it may simply be the day that comes after the 10th and before the 12th. For me, it means Armistice Day, a day to commemorate and pay tribute to military veterans, both living and dead.
Armistice Day brought a thankful close to World War I; “The Great War” or the “War to End All Wars,” tore apart nations, families, and produced nearly 10 million deaths. That particular war introduced to the world audience a prolific use of mustard gas, trench warfare, and casualty rates that defy comprehension. It was the most brutal conflict mankind had ever witnessed.
Two years before the war ended, about halfway between Paris and the Flanders coast lay an unimpressive little stream, called The Somme. It was there that the British and French attacked the entrenched German Army. Within the first 15 minutes, twenty thousand British soldiers were killed. After five months, over a million soldiers on both sides were dead. Nothing had been gained by either side as less than one mile of territory had changed hands over the five month period. That battle exemplified the brutally and senseless futility of WWI.
The war would carry on for two more years until, in 1918, on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour, World War I came to an end when both sides signed the Armistice.
In 1954, President Eisenhower signed a bill and changed “Armistice Day” to “Veterans Day” and proclaimed it a day for all soldiers of all wars, and he called upon Americans to dedicate themselves to the cause of peace - a noble charge, and one that the world and America continues to struggle with.
In today’s hectic and frantic world, we all too often engrossed in our daily routines, which are guided mostly by our own self-interests. We look around and see only what our eyes allow us to see: nice houses, nice schools, nice cars and nice people. We assume it’s that way the world over and perhaps that it’s always been that way. But what I want to share with you today is what sets America apart from other nations, what sets men and women of integrity, tolerance, and hope apart from the shackles of ignorance and pain.
None of these are absolutes, but one thing that is an absolute, is the American soldier.
He or she does not choose where and when they will fight…those decisions are left up to the puffy-chested politicians. The soldier is the one who lives in trenches or in make-shift barracks in temperatures as low as -20ºF or as high as 135ºF. His or her food is horrid, a good night’s sleep is a year away, and a hot shower is a luxury that is rarely available - all the while being shot at by the enemy. But those soldiers, those selfless men and women, give us the gift of freedom.
I never really understood what freedom meant until I moved to Saudi Arabia 37 years ago. People told me it was a monarchy, but I can assure you that it was a dictatorship. I was not free to travel around the country without permission from the local police, I could not leave the country without being approved by the Ministry of the Interior, my mail was censored, magazines at the local store were also censored for any articles that were deemed oppositional to the King. I was even arrested once and thrown in jail for three days - no phone call, no food, no lawyer, and no rights.
The interesting thing about freedom is that it’s not really free at all. It is as expensive as it is rare. Freedom is also very costly to those who choose to protect it - many have laid down their lives for it. Over 1,250,000 Americans have died over the past 233 years in the hopes of making and keeping us free - free to live where we want, free to root for our favorite football team, free to choose a profession, free to marry whomever we want, free to vote for whomever we want, free to enter into contracts, free to read what we want, and free to worship where and what we want.
As you leave here today, reflect on these thoughts and reflect on your gift of freedom. And when you hear an F-15 jet fighter roar by over your head at mach 2 speed or when you hear the sound of protesters outside of the White House, what you are really hearing are the “sounds of freedom.” When you see old soldiers marching by proudly in a Memorial Day or July 4th parade holding their salutes, look deeply into their eyes and what you’ll see is freedom.
As you have been the recipients of the actions of others who have gone before you, as they have passed the gift and blessing of freedom on to you, you must also be willing to sacrifice and pass the torch of freedom onto another generation of Americans for them to embrace, honor, and to cherish...
Our endless gratitude to the members of the Christ School community who have served in our armed forces:
Father Kirk Brown – Captain, United States Army
Mr. Mike Mohney – Lt. United States Navy
Mr. Tad Wheeler – Sgt., United States Marine Corps
Mrs. Jennifer McDonald – Cpl., Unites States Army Intelligence
Mrs. Rainsford – Major, United States Army Nursing Corps (2 Tours, Vietnam)"
