Where were Madison officials?

The turnout for the Madison County Veterans Day observance on Nov. 11 at the Madison County High School was disappointing and disturbing.

Most all who attended were veterans and family members of veterans and most of the seats in the auditorium remained empty.

What was most disturbing was the absence of our community leaders in Madison and the public officials who had the day off to celebrate Veterans Day.

Did they not see the event listed in the Community Calendar section of The Madison County Eagle or see it on the sign in front of the high school along U.S. 29? Did they not come because they didn’t receive an invitation to the event (a public event)?

Maybe they were just too busy to come.

These excuses for not taking an hour, a pittance of time, to attend are shallow, particularly when most all of these public officials were also absent at last year’s Veterans Day event too.

If they are among those who feel Veterans Day is just a free day off from work with pay, they should be ashamed of themselves.

Should I and other veterans begin to view the lack of interest as disrespect?

Perhaps our community leaders and many other people have forgotten the meaning of Veterans Day and why it important to remember our veterans. It is a fact that the percentage of citizens who have worn a uniform is rapidly declining, and the appreciation for the sacrifices made by veterans to also diminishing.

Why are Veterans Day and the remembrance of our veterans important?

Remembering gives true meaning to the sacrifice and service of those who have and are serving in our military.

Millions of Americans’ lives were forever altered because they donned a uniform to protect the freedoms and rights we take for granted.

Every basic right and freedom we have today has been paid for with the blood, sweat and tears of those who served in our military.

Veterans and those who serve had the courage to leave behind their jobs, homes, and families and go into harms way.

We owe them an eternal debt of gratitude. And acknowledging Veterans Day and Memorial Day is when that debt comes due. In America, it’s a way of keeping faith. In Madison County, it is honoring your neighbors.

The hour you take out of your day to stand before the American flag with the veterans who have fought to defend it will be a thanks those veterans will not soon forget.

America honors its veterans only one day of the year -- Nov. 11. Veterans Day is a federal holiday in the United States and a state holiday in all states, which means most government offices are closed and the mail is not delivered. Veterans Day is a holiday so we can remember the sacrifices of the men and women who have worn -- and continue to wear -- the uniforms of our armed forces to protect this great country.

Many of them have seen the terrors and inhumanity of combat, and many have become physically or emotionally handicapped for life as a result. America honors those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country while serving in the armed forces on another federal holiday-Memorial Day in May.

Our veterans and those continuing to serve each took an oath to uphold the values that our country is based on, that we hold on high, and that make our country what it is today. Our veterans fought to guarantee us our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. During the past 232-plus years, our military services have fought forces that threatened to bring an end to our society: the British during the Revolution, the Germans in two world wars, the Japanese during the second world war, communist aggression during the Cold War and radical Islamic terrorists after their attacks on the United States.

Veterans Day is not, and should not be, a day of bombast and revelry. Veterans Day is also not a day for contentious political discourse or celebration about the recent national and local elections.

Rather, it is a day for somber reflection and heartfelt thanks. It is a day for dignity and for gratitude. Veterans Day honors the notion that brave men and women will fight, and if necessary die, for this country. And these men and women include every race, religion, ethnicity, economic status, and social status in our country.

We are losing our veterans at a rapid rate, time being too great an enemy even for those who have battled so much. Today, we have about 26 million living military veterans in America, but we lose 1,500 World War II veterans each day and the ranks of Korean War veterans are rapidly diminishing as well. Soon, the Vietnam War veterans will pass away in similar numbers. Every day, a piece of our past and a piece of our freedom disappear, lost.

Veterans Day is a time when all of us who have served can wear our colors and be proud of what we were no matter where or when we were in or what our job was. Veterans are a special select group -- it is an accurate observation that it is the veteran who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag.

My hope is this message will give a few people a better appreciation for the significance of Veterans Day. I also want to say thank you to those who attended this year’s Madison County Veterans Day observance ceremony and the Madison County Schools for participating in Veterans Day and Memorial Day observance programs.

(Guest columnist Gerry Stephenson is the commander of Madison American Legion Post 157. Contact him via e-mail at garoldstephenson@hotmail.com.)