OPINION: Remembering our veterans and looking to the future on this Veterans Day
It is fitting that America sets aside at least one day every year to honor those who served in the county’s armed forces. Demonstrating respect for veterans encourages young people to step forward to serve the country, which in turn keeps us strong and prepared to meet challenges posed by our adversaries. Despite the indecisive outcomes of our conflicts following the Second World War — Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan — there should never be any question that the service of our military men and women is appreciated by a grateful nation.
When Communist forces took over Saigon on April 30, 1975, many of us who had served there were devastated. I thought of those many thousands of Americans (58,220, at final count) who died in the conflict and the hundreds of thousands who came home with physical and mental wounds. The sad outcome was not because our service personnel did not give their all for their country, but due to serious mistakes made by those at the highest echelons. The same could be said for our Iraq and Afghanistan wars. We must always honor those who served the country, regardless of the war outcome, and direct our anger at those who erroneously called the shots.
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