"Veteran" evokes a myriad of feelings and memories, allegiances and gratitude, pain and pride felt both by those who served and those who missed them while they were away.

"Veteran" also evokes concern for those who haven't yet, but will serve in the armed forces. Many are children now; strong odds say each of us will know at least one of them. I wish we didn't need their service, but as long as needs remain, setting aside a day to honor and give thanks is the least the rest of us can do. The very least.

Why do we observe on Nov. 11? World War I - the "war to end all wars" - ended in cease fire on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, November 1918. So a year later President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with these words:

"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations..."

Celebrations began much as they remain, with parades, speeches, and a suspension of business in silence at 11 a.m. Armistice Day wasn't a national holiday until Congress declared it in 1938 and dedicated it to the cause of peace. While the day was established to honor World War I vets specifically, after World War II it was changed to "honor veterans of all wars" and renamed Veterans Day by legislative act in 1954.

For a while Veterans Day jumped around to comply with the Uniform Public Holiday law of 1968. The law moved four national holidays - Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day - to anchor weekends in the hopes it would encourage travel and related economic stimulation. The public wasn't having it for Veterans Day; enough people ignored the move and continued to observe it on Nov. 11 that in 1975 President Gerald Ford signed a bill returning it to its origin. Some things are just too important.

The wounds of war transcend time, body, and definition, affecting each veteran uniquely. So too must a benefitted society's reflective care for these transcend one day in November.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network and may be reached at sholehjo@hotmail.com