Every year on November 11, Veterans Day is observed as a national holiday in the United States, commemorating the armistice of World War I.
Formerly called Armistice Day, this observance marked the anniversary of the end of fighting in World War I in 1918. In 1954, the U.S. Congress changed the name Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor all United States veterans.
In the history of nations, 1918 was an historic year in more than one way. In that year, World War I ended and President Woodrow Wilson proposed his famous 14 Points; Turkish armies collapsed in Palestine; the Bolsheviks dissolved the Russian Duma and formed the Red Army; and a number of nations declared their independence, including Czechoslovakia, Poland, Austria, Yugoslavia and Armenia.
After winning the three decisive battles of Sardarabad, Kara-Kilisa and Bash-Abaran against the Turks, Armenians declared their independence on May 28, 1918. A heroic stand of Armenian veterans together with civilians saved Armenia against the invading Turkish armies.
Our ancestral land, Armenia — and our adopted country, America — owe an eternal debt to our veterans. They are a source of blessing and inspiration to us.
Our veterans inspire us by their patriotism. We are inspired by their unselfish love for their country and countrymen. Our forefathers, as indentured servants, won their freedom and passed on that gift of freedom to their children and grandchildren.
Today, we are asked what it means to be a true patriot. To be sure, loving one’s homeland and one’s compatriots constitute two sides of patriotism. Claiming to love one’s nation but hating and hurting individual citizens because of differences is sheer hypocrisy. The privilege and responsibility of love is all-inclusive. It is not a mere sentiment. It is a way of life.
True patriots are sincere persons with moral integrity. There is no gap between what they say or do and what they really are.
Our veterans inspire us by their love for freedom. Freedom, in all its forms, has been the cornerstone of both Armenia and America.
Our veterans were committed to freedom ─ freedom from slavery and oppression, freedom of speech and thought and freedom of communication and worship.
But how free is our freedom? There is no such thing as absolute freedom. We are not free to do whatever we want to do. Freedom is an empty word if it means only absence from restraint or absence of authority. Freedom is action with responsibility — not just from but freedom to something. Freedom is a blessing if we can use it and a curse if we misuse or abuse it.
Freedom should also be preserved and perpetuated. The German poet and dramatist Goethe believed that those who would be free must “win their freedom afresh every day.”
Our veterans inspire us by their staying power. Staying power is endurance, perseverance and patience. It is the ability to stick with it. We admire and salute our veterans’ commitment and loyalty to their cause. We appreciate the fact that our veterans found in the service of their nation and country something they deemed more important than themselves, to which they gave their lifelong loyalty.
Staying power is an imperative ingredient of effective living. We all need it and admire it in others. We would like to have more of it ourselves. Where do we get it? St. Paul says, “Affliction gives us staying power” (Romans 5:3). When we face problems and fight our way through them, we build moral muscle.
On Veterans Day, once again we salute all our veterans, American as well as Armenian, for their patriotism, manifested in their courage and sacrifice, for their love of freedom, and for their staying power! May their example always inspire us!
Rev. Dr. Vahan Tootikian
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