A Simple Thank You

Veterans day is a day created to honor the veterans that fought for our freedom, but how much honor do we give them throughout the year? Intro to Journalism reporters have uncovered differing views on this topic. “I feel like it should be rewarded more than it actually is because, we got school off for Columbus Day, [and] I just think it should be recognized more,” said Marijke Nielson ’19, whose dad served in the Air Force for 24 years.

Veterans Day was originally proclaimed as Armistice Day, in 1918, which celebrated world peace following the end of World War l. In 1954, Congress decided to change Armistice Day to Veterans Day, held annually on November 11th, to specifically honor veterans and the sacrifices they have made for our country. According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Day is a “Celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.” Today, Veterans receive many benefits from serving including disability compensation, pension programs, free or low-cost medicare at VA hospitals and clinics, discounts at certain stores, restaurants, and some education programs.

Many students here at West have shared their opinions on whether veterans are honored and celebrated enough. Ellie Kouba ’19, whose dad went to West Point, responded, “Yeah you know, I do think a lot of people respect their veterans […] they’ll be like ‘hey thanks for serving our country’ so I think we do do a good job with that.” Mitchell Clements ’19 shares the same view. “Most people praise people in the military, and are grateful for them serving,” Clements said, whose dad served in the army as a pilot.

Although some people agree, others think more could be done. “The more [we] do [can’t hurt], but I think [we’re] doing a good job and I don’t see anything wrong with what [we’re] doing already,” said Kyle Sulwer ’19 whose dad served in the Navy.

During Veterans Day in Iowa City, all the Hy-Vee stores offered a free breakfast. There was an Armistice Day observance at the Old Capitol, and a pizza and social event at the Iowa City Library. Additionally, North Liberty’s Heritage Christian School had a school celebration with an assembly where their band played and the choir sang. Likewise, Penn Elementary held an assembly. The North Liberty Library had their second annual Veterans Day appreciation event with a free lunch for veterans. Here at West, we have a moment of silence, but no other events.

To get more insight on what’s being done for veterans in our community, we talked to a social studies teacher here at West, Holly Robinson, who has been serving in the Navy for over ten years. “I don’t really like all the deals and specials and discounts and sales, [or] all the promotional gimmicky stuff, but it’s nice to take a moment and just reflect,” said Robinson. Sulwer, however, shared a slightly different view, “I think there are a lot of benefits from [my dad] being a veteran, [for example] we’ll go to different stores and they’ll give him [discounts] off.”

Overall, it seems that many people believe that America is doing a pretty good job of honoring veterans. Among the West High students interviewed, however, a majority came to the consensus that saying a simple thanks when you see someone in uniform all year round is a great way to show your appreciation.
“I think people could keep doing what they’re doing [by] sending boxes to the veterans who are in Iraq [and] Afghanistan and keep on helping them and paying their respects; just saying, ‘Hey, thanks for serving’ [is] very polite and respectful,” Kouba said.

Remember to always give a simple ‘thank you’ to those who have served in our military, no matter what day of the year.