Editorial: Remember vets

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 14:46

When Armistice Day was first observed at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, marking the end of what was then The Great War, it was hoped that the war to end all wars was over, that such hostilities would never again erupt.

That hope has yet to be realized, and families throughout the community continue to feel the pain caused by war.

Young men and women who are our neighbors are giving their all in service to this country. Their families are also making sacrifices, living each day not only with the absence of loved ones, but with the fear of what the next phone call or news report might convey.

Pause at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, to remember those toiling in faraway lands to defend democracy. Reach out to support their families, whose thoughts each day are preoccupied with an appreciation for service many feel only on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. In small town fashion, the Wilton American Legion Post and the town plan a short parade of veterans from the library to the town green and a brief ceremony. And rightly so, remembrance assemblies are planned by Wilton schools.

Many of those who serve today signed up after America was attacked for the first time since 1941. They now find themselves in arid deserts and frigid mountains, not on the shores they volunteered to defend.

Their families find themselves struggling to fill emotional voids, sometimes struggling to fill daily human needs.

Such is war. Its cost is borne by many, who are often remembered by few.

Veterans Day gives a chance for all who benefit to thank those who serve, not just those who gave their lives, for their sacrifices. By connection, it can bring to mind the mothers, fathers, wives, children and others yearning for the day their loved one marches home.

And inside those who serve, and their families, burns a hope that never again will another generation march off into combat.