Monday was an observed holiday and a day off from school and work to celebrate Veterans Day.
With a quick Google search, I learned that “Veterans Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans.”
Sophomore Courtney Chouinard said, “We celebrate Veterans Day to honor and remember those who served to protect our country and our freedom.”
Chouinard continued to say how she has a lot of people in her family who were veterans, and talked about how she celebrated the holiday. “To celebrate, I always call and talk to them and thank them for everything they did for us, and my family at home remembers the people in my family who fought for us, too,” Chouinard said.
It is sweet that even away at college students get the time to connect with their family members if they can. Some may even take the long weekend to go home and see their loved ones. An anonymous senior told me we “celebrate Veterans Day to remember the sacrifice of all the men and women in the armed forces.” Today, she took the time to remember both of her grandfathers, one of whom fought in Korea and the other during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
I also got to talk to junior Patrice Guerard. “I usually call my uncles and my cousins who are either currently serving or formally served,” Guerard stated. “I also usually call my grandfathers and just take the day off to try to be as conscious as I can of the holiday.”
Veterans Day is more than just a day off, but we do not hear much talk about the holiday itself. For these students, and I am sure many others, have people to love and remember.
Guerard, even without much knowledge of the history of the holiday, still takes her time to celebrate. “Veterans Day may not get a lot of recognition in the college population, but it gets a decent amount of recognition throughout the country,” she said.
Chouinard believes that “students should take time to understand the impact veterans have had on their life, and how different their lives would be if they didn’t fight for our freedom.” With all three the students I interviewed, they agreed that other students should not only recognize Veterans Day but also “take good time to respect and remember,” as stated by Guerard.
The anonymous senior thinks it is important to think about how “freedom is not free” and students should do their part to thank those who served and let them know they are remarkable and brave people.
So, how did you spend your Veterans Day?
Denise Ronan can be contacted
at dronan@kscequinox.com
