The history of Veterans Day on November 11 traces back to the establishment of Armistice Day exactly 90 years ago. President Woodrow Wilson established the national holiday to commemorate the formal end to World War I one year earlier, on November 11, 1918.

In 1954, the holiday was renamed Veterans Day and expanded to honor and celebrate all of the nation’s veterans. Unfortunately, to many people today it has become simply a day to shop and find good deals, or just enjoy some time off work. But it’s much more than that. Even though it is a good thing to think about and thank veterans every day of the year, perhaps today people can really spend a moment reflecting on their sacrifice and the people’s duties toward them.

America has surely been blessed with countless brave soldiers dating back to the Revolutionary War — patriots who were willing to defend the nation and its liberty, even with their lives. But it has also been cursed with politicians and special interests who care nothing for the troops, sending them to do battle in foreign lands without a constitutional Declaration of War and in direct violation of all of their oaths.

While attacking the Constitution here at home, these political figures mock America’s soldiers — betraying the troops and their pledge to God, the American people, and the Constitution. Today, President Barack Obama offered some pleasantries and kind words for the troops: "For the better part of a decade, they have endured tour after tour in distant and difficult places, they have protected us from danger, and they have given others the opportunity for a better life."

He then said America was going “to do right by them," even as media headlines still proclaim the imminent deployment of tens of thousands more to the battlefields of Afghanistan. Contrary to Obama’s campaign promise and virtually the entire Democratic Party’s pledge to end the war in Iraq, America’s armed forces still remain mired in a bloody and expensive conflict there too.

There have been almost 90,000 recorded American casualties as a result of these two wars alone, with well over 5,000 American dead. So politicians’ blabbering about supporting the troops means nothing — not while they let them continue to die on foreign soil for some murky, undefined geopolitical objective or strategy.

The Founding Fathers, many of them veterans of the War for Independence, never intended that American soldiers should police the world. George Washington, America’s most well known military hero, frequently advocated for peaceful commerce and against foreign entanglements.    

The man who officially sparked the Revolution with the Declaration of Independence had good advice, too.

 "I have ever deemed it fundamental for the United States never to take active part in the quarrels of Europe. Their political interests are entirely distinct from ours. Their mutual jealousies, their balance of power, their complicated alliances, their forms and principles of government, are all foreign to us. They are nations of eternal war. All their energies are expended in the destruction of the labor, property and lives of their people." wrote Thomas Jefferson to James Monroe in 1823.

In a 1793 letter to C. W. F. Dumas, he said: "We wish not to meddle with the internal affairs of any country, nor with the general affairs of Europe. Peace with all nations, and the right which that gives us with respect to all nations, are our object." And in his first inaugural address as President, Jefferson said famous line: "Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations — entangling alliances with none."

According to the Census Bureau, there are more than 23 million veterans in the U.S. today. Most of them are given what they are promised, but others still slip through the cracks. Estimates put the number of homeless vets at over 130,000, about one third of the total homeless population of the U.S., as Congress meanwhile rains what is left of American taxpayers’ wealth on giant banks. Many veterans complain of being denied rightful benefits by the Department of Veterans Affairs. If America sends somebody off to war, they must at least be entitled to what was promised them. 

There remains only one American veteran of World War I who still survives today — Frank Buckle, who is 108. He lied about his age and enlisted at 16, serving in England and France driving ambulances and motorcycles. During World War II, he was captured by the Japanese. Buckle is true American hero who, like all the other men and women who have served valiantly to protect America and its ideals, deserves our gratitude and respect.

Members of America’s armed forces today make a voluntary commitment to defend the rights and liberties of the American people under the Constitution. For this decision, they are honored. But the best way to honor veterans may be to ensure that the sacrifices they made in defense of the Constitution and our liberties for which they pledged their lives are never in vain. Americans have a duty and the responsibility to ensure that their leaders do not misuse the nation’s bravest patriots in unconstitutional wars. The purpose of the armed forces is to defend the American people, their liberties and the U.S. Constitution. That is why we honor them today.

Alex Newman is an American freelance writer and the president of Liberty Sentinel Media, Inc., a small media consulting firm. He is currently living in Sweden and has spent most of his life in Latin America, Europe, and Africa. He has a degree in foreign languages and speaks Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian and a little Swedish and Afrikaans. In addition, he earned a degree in journalism from the University of Florida, with emphasis on economics and international relations.

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rprew said:

	To all vererans and current military personnel... Thank you!
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November 11, 2009
Votes: +3

Will Grigg said:

What the bloodshed bought Just imagine: If not for the wars arranged by Washington, we might be ruled by a government that plunders our wealth,subverts our families, slaughters innocents by the thousand, propagates war and terrorism, and rules through intimidation. Yes, we are indeed blessed to be ruled by a government that keeps foreign threats at bay, so it can impoverish and tyrannize us without competition. Make sure to thank a veteran....

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November 11, 2009
Votes: +1

Peter Steele said:

	George Washington and peace Washington was a patriot's patriot as he was the first in war and first in peace as my late father RADM Peter Steele, USN was a Mayflower and Son of the American Revolution as well as a Birch member since 1964. If Washington were alive he would have gotten the Nobel Peace Prize for his timely advice if he were alive today.
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November 12, 2009
Votes: +2

DDW said:

	All the "liberal" left politicians Should be rounded up and sent directly to the front lines, particularly that Pelosi witch. I've always thought that veterans should be made tax-exempt for the remainder of their lives.
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November 13, 2009
Votes: +0