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Veterans Corner #10

Why is November 11, 1918 so Important?

 It is the Armistice for World War I and was signed at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the 18th year of 1900 on November 11, 1918 at that moment, the guns of World War I went silent.  We are the Home of the Free, because of the BRAVE!  On this date, we should recognize the service and the sacrifice of all our nation’s veterans.  From Valley Forge to Vietnam, from Kuwait to Kandahar, from Berlin to Korea, from Africa to Baghdad, to so many other far away locations, our veterans have borne the costs of America’s wars.  They have stood watch over America’s peace for us.  I am truly humbled and grateful to all our nations veterans and all who have fought for our freedom.  Those who live today, must remember those who do not.  We are the Home of the Free, because of you (our Veterans), the BRAVE and we thank each and every one of the Veterans who are with us today and those who are not for their sacrifice.  Those of us who know freedom, remember those who gave up life for freedom.  On Thursday, November 11, 2021 we will honor our dead, we will conduct ceremonies, we will lay wreaths and dignitaries will speak words of tribute to our fallen Hero’s and our Veterans alive today.  In our memories, in our hearts, we hold them close to us still.  We all have family members that fought bravely to protect us and our nation.  Yet we also know, even as their families knew, when they last looked upon them, that we can keep them in our thoughts, though they can never be fully ours again and for those we lost, now belong to our God, to that for which they so selflessly made a final and eternal act of devotion.  We could not forget them, even if they were not our own, we could not forget them.  For all time, they are what we can only aspire to be, giving, unselfish, the epitome of human love, to lay down one’s life so that others might live.  In our mind’s eye, we see young Americans going off to war, to some foreign land to fight for us.  We think of them now, with love, with devotion, and with faith.  We should be thinking of them daily.  The certainty that what they fought and may have died for was worthy of their sacrifice, faith in God and faith in our Nation that has pledged itself to His work, our God and to the dream of human freedom.  For a nation that on the 11th, and always pledges itself to their eternal memory.  I urge all Elk Members and family members to go up to those BRAVE Men and Women, shake a hand, give a hug, and give a word of thanks to them, they’ve earned that from us.  I ask you to consider volunteering at a veteran’s hospital or a nursing home.  I encourage you to work with your local Veterans’ group to help support our troops in the field and their families here at home.  We honor those that followed in a great tradition, a tradition handed down to them by America’s veterans.  In public ceremonies and in private prayer, we give thanks to these BRAVE men and women for the freedom we enjoy because of their willingness to serve.  We are the land of the free because of them, the Brave!  We should always honor those who have set such a brave example, our nation’s veterans the TRUE American hero’s.  I would like to send a special THANK YOU to the over 160 Elk Brother & Sisters who are Members here Port Huron Lodge 343, who have served and are our local Veterans.  May God bless all of our veterans, may God bless all who continue to wear the uniform, and may God continue to bless all of us.

Fraternally

Scott R. Harris, PER

Veterans Committee Member

Port Huron Elks Lodge #343

Posted by: Port Huron, MI #343 (10/07/2021)


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