Veterans deserve thanks on more than just one day

When people think of a November holiday, Thanksgiving jumps to mind; Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks for the abundance of the harvest and blessings of the previous year. However, there is a second federal holiday celebrated each November that holds deep personal importance to me. And it's not Black Friday when everyone heads to the mall!

This holiday was initially created to memorialize the end of World War I, when major hostilities ended on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. Legislation was passed in 1938 to declare Armistice Day a federal holiday dedicated to the cause of world peace.

In 1954, Congress amended legislation replacing the word 'armistice” with the word 'veterans”. Veterans Day now is a celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

Ten of the formative years of my life were spent in the U.S. Air Force as an aircraft maintenance officer. To this day, I remember and reflect upon those who inspired me.

There is little that I can write about Veterans Day which is terribly unique or original. I can only write from personal experience about the selfless sacrifice of so many who patiently mentored, taught and worked beside me. I am in debt to them and will always remember them for their quiet - well, sometimes exuberant - encouragement and relentless dedication to duty.

Zero 4-30, and the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing flight line is alive. January, Cannon Air Force Base, eastern New Mexico and it is cold. Bone. Chilling. Cold.

Above the din of the F-111D's twin TF-30 engines spooling-up SSgt Malvo, hydraulics crew chief, shouts, 'Makin' ya money Cap'n Else, makin' ya money” (getting the birds ready for a 6 a.m. launch) and then gives me the Blue AMU 'HANG LOOSE” salute.

Military aircraft tend to leak hydraulic fluid like a sieve, and hydraulic troops work near every weekend. They are my heroes.

Around the world, around the clock, U.S. military men and women like SSgt Malvo work to protect a nation which has given them, us, so much. They possess courage, pride, determination, selflessness and dedication - all the qualities needed to serve a cause larger than one's self. Millions of Americans have fought and died on battlefields here and abroad to defend our freedoms and way of life.

Today our troops continue to make the ultimate sacrifice, yet even as we lose troops, more step forward to serve. I offer a simple prayer I came across years ago: 'Dear Lord, today an American Soldier died for me. I ask and must answer; was I worth it?”

So, not just on Nov. 11, or on Thanksgiving Day, or the month of November, but the entire year, please give veterans sincere thanks for their service and do your best to ensure their sacrifice was worth it.

' Sarah Else is a resident of Cedar Rapids and member of the board of directors for the National Association of Veterans Research and Education Foundation. Comments: sarahelse7@gmail.com