Giving Thanks to Our Nation's Veterans ... And Especially "Ike"

Today we honor our nation's Veterans. In fact, we should take the time to honor them each day.

Our individual freedoms as Americans are protected because of what they have done and continue to do.

So recognizing that whatever we say will be insufficient, we'll simply say "Thank you."

President Dwight Eisenhower's Veterans Day proclamation has a lot of meaning for me:

"From President Dwight Eisenhower's Veterans Day proclamation, Oct. 8, 1954:

WHEREAS it has long been our custom to commemorate November 11, the anniversary of the ending of World War I, by paying tribute to the heroes of that tragic struggle and by rededicating ourselves to the cause of peace; and

WHEREAS in the intervening years the United States has been involved in two other great military conflicts, which have added millions of veterans living and dead to the honor rolls of this Nation; and

WHEREAS the Congress passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926 . . . calling for the observance of November 11 with appropriate ceremonies, and later provided in an act approved May 13, 1938 . . . that the eleventh of November should be a legal holiday and should be known as Armistice Day; and

WHEREAS, in order to expand the significance of that commemoration and in order that a grateful Nation might pay appropriate homage to the veterans of all its wars who have contributed so much to the preservation of the Nation, the Congress, by an act approved June 1, 1954 . . . changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, President of the United States of America, do hereby call upon all of our citizens to observe Thursday, November 11, 1954, as Veterans Day. On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain. I also direct the appropriate officials of the Government to arrange for the display of the flag of the United States on all public buildings on Veterans Day.

In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose."
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WHY "I LIKE IKE"

I still remember well the "I Like Ike" buttons of my childhood when President Dwight David Eisenhower campaigned as the Republican nominee for president in 1952 and 1956, respectively. He won both times, of course.

It's also noteworthy that Ike was really neither originally a partisan Republic nor Democrat. In fact, Democrat President Harry Truman, (Ike's predecessor as President and formerly a Vice-President to four term President Franklin Delano Roosevelt) had urged Eisenhower to run as a Democrat instead of a Republican.

Ike had no party affiliation prior to running for President. My, how times have changed.

Eisenhower was an American, first and foremost. He was from Abilene, Kansas, graduated from West Point, served as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces on D-Day in World War II and went on to serve as our 34th President.

But first and foremost, he was a patriotic American dedicated to the service of his country.

Today we sure could use a few patriotic, non-partisan, self effacing American political leaders who don't duck the hard issues.

And maybe that's why to this day "I Like Ike" so much. He definitely and unmistakably was not a "can kicker." He was a straight shooter (no pun intended) and a leader.

So today let's express a special heartfelt "thank you" to the "Greatest Generation" and the rest of our nation's Veterans as well, past, present and future.

Thanks. Bob.