Veterans Day: Honor History By Learning It!

It’s one of those cliched facts of life that once you get older, you wish you’d paid more attention in school. Learning becomes a luxury you wish you had more time for. Such is the case for me with history. Now that time is at a premium, I quite often look to The Attic for books and DVDs that quench my thirst for knowledge.

I’ve spent hours poring through crisp maps (I love maps, don’t you?), charts, diagrams and photographs recounting battles in our nation’s fascinating history. And it’s highly likely that during the weekends you’ll find me glued to a DVD about Lincoln or Patton while I fold laundry and pretend to balance the checkbook.

Is it odd for a soccer mom to be fascinated by military strategy? I don't think so! Characters like Custer and Rommel are way more colorful than all the Desperate Housewives put together! American Idol? I'd rather watch The American Revolution!

As Thanksgiving looms, we find ourselves seduced by thoughts of roast turkey and buttery mashed potatoes. Christmas is right around the corner, full of sugar plums and shiny paper. At the onset of the holiday season, Veterans Day, quite frankly, gets the short stick. Sure, it gets media coverage full of emotional vignettes about patriotism, but if you ask me...it never gets enough attention.

How do we truly honor those who sacrificed everything to keep our country, and so many other nations around the world, free of tyranny (to use an old but relevant expression)? Making sure that we never forget. How do we do that? By learning. Reading. Exploring maps and diagrams. Watching DVDs. Putting faces to names so that those dusty old textbooks spring to life with wild characters and the smell of gunpowder in the air. Think of this blog as me—slipping you a note during class: “History’s cool! Pass it on!”