The one day in the year which most articulates gratitude of past, and present enlistees to the US Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard arrive on Nov. 11, Veterans Day.
While the last day in May maintains significance as Memorial Day, the nation’s commemorations then annually focus on the contributions of deceased military personnel.
However, on this particular fall date, an all encompassing period enables citizen to citizen contact and insurmountable gratitude to those currently in service, those who survived wars and the multitudes who lost their lives in combat.
To everyone who ever committed to military duty a unanimous, national salute is due.
Throughout the day, uniformed service members will be deluged with comments the likes of —”thank you for your service.”
Patriots will brandish the Star Spangled banner, commendations of honor, unit medals and a plethora of memorabilia related to their stint in service.
A parade is inevitable.
And bravery and heroism will be promoted by commercial media.
It’s a day yours truly relishes as a member of the 340th Public Affairs Detachment, one of only three USAR units in the country devoted to print and broadcast journalists.
Specialists in engineering, reporting, radio and television, publishing, and related communications fields qualified for membership if they also aced the tongue-twisting news test required by the commander.
Boasting Reserve units in Rome, Georgia, another in Los Angeles, California, and Fort Totten in Whitestone, Queens, 19 citizen soldiers tasked with dispensing news and information to America Forces Radio and Television Network claimed the privileged part-time profession.
That each selected soldier either worked at similar jobs in their civilian capacity or earned a baccalaureate degree prior to joining the military guaranteed consideration for membership.
Although the one weekend per month commitment also mandated two weeks of duty the specialized unit executed annual training in Honduras, Panama, Korea, Fort Gordon (Augusta, Georgia) Fort McCoy (Toma, Wisconsin) Fort Carson (Colorado) — many of us also attended military journalism school at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Graduates from the multi-service institution were affectionately referred to as DINFOS trained killers a reference to Defence Information School and the fact completion of basic training qualified for the acquired shooting skills.
While a bulk of weekend training evolved in recording studios (garnering many prestigious awards …such as numerous Keith L. Ware honors) parades seemed the most enticing public outings for exhibitions.
Veterans Day parades especially provided high profile coverage along Fifth Ave.
There at the headquarters of the New York Public Library select broadcasters delivered commentary and tid-bits about the various participants.
Unfortunately back then not a great many spectators uttered “thank you for your service” — it had not yet become a thing to express — yet pride and gratitude seemed unspoken sentiments of the era.
This and every Veterans Day, please take a moment to express gratitude to deserving soldiers, sailors, Marines, Air men and women and Coast Guard personnel who signed on for duty.
It’s the one day to show appreciation for military service.
Everybody’s Magazine Predicts 92 % Caribbean Americans Will Vote VP Harris To Victory
According to a poll of Caribbean-American voters, former President Donald Trump will only entice a measly seven percent of totals needed to win a return to the White House.
The survey of 249 subscribers to Everybody’s Magazine, a publication regarded for its diasporan focus on national and international issues, Vice President Kamala Harris is assured the lion share of 92.5 percent in swing states.
“Caribbean American communities across the U.S. , from Texas to Michigan and New Jersey to California have demonstrated their proactive approach to the election by casting their ballot during early voting dates,” Herman Hall, publisher said.
He explained that VP Harris will win six of the seven Swing states assuring a victory with 82 electoral votes.
Based on large Caribbean-American populations in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan he concluded the results favorable to VP Harris.
Totals for the Trump/Vance ticket will amount to a win in only one state.
In order to claim victory each candidate must win 11 in Arizona: 16 in Georgia; 15 in Michigan, 6 in Nevada, 16 in North Carolina, 10 in Wisconsin and 19 in Pennsylvania.
Catch You On The Inside!
