Give us our day, we fought for it . . .

Published on 12/03/2001 Daily Egyptian (SIUC)

I found out I was a minor celebrity in my daughter's middle school class not long ago. It was around Veteran's Day, and her class was discussing the significance of the holiday. She got several minor details wrong - she told them I was in the Army, instead of the Navy (at least she didn't make me an officer!) and that I had been in Vietnam (I'm old, but not THAT old) - but she was proud to be able to say I had served my country for 20 years.

Veterans are popular people these days, as are those men and women currently serving in the military. It often happens at times like these - like when the Gulf War started, there was a lot of the same kind of thing. All of a sudden it seemed that instead of drawing a few curious looks when I wore my uniform in public, I was looked upon as someone special. I remember meeting my sister at a little bar in Kentucky in uniform, and we ended up not having to pay for a single drink while we were there.

It's too bad it takes a national crisis for the military and veterans to get the respect they deserve but sadly, anyone who has served for any length of time is used to it.

I checked out the University's calendar for next year, and as the new chancellor promised, there is no fall break next year. There will be a full week for Thanksgiving again, which will help those students traveling home for the holiday and maybe put off serious work on semester projects.

One thing that is conspicuously missing is a holiday for Veteran's Day. November 11 falls on a Monday next year, yet it looks like it will be a regular day of classes. I have to wonder why?

When I first arrived at SIUC, I was surprised to find there was no day off to commemorate Veteran's Day. I asked why then and the answer was fall break. The University was giving students a four-day weekend for fall break that year in order to prevent a repeat of the infamous Halloween riots, and since we had those days off, we couldn't afford another day off. In the years since, we have had at least a four-day weekend, culminating with this year's week off.

So, when the chancellor said "no more" to fall breaks, I was expecting Veteran's Day to be put on the calendar. Especially given the current mood of the country toward veterans and the military. I was surprised when it wasn't.

Veteran's Day began as Armistice Day, a day commemorating the veterans who fought in World War I. Two decades and two wars later it became Veteran's Day, a day to honor the men who fought in all of our nation's wars. Later it was been expanded to honor all the men and women who have served our country and helped maintain the freedoms we all enjoy.

Veteran's day is a federal holiday - government offices are closed, the mail doesn't run, even my garbage man has the day off. Schools and state offices are not bound by federal holidays; while observance is encouraged, it isn't required.

So, on behalf of my fellow veterans at SIUC, let me officially encourage the University to observe this particular holiday. Update the calendar; I'm sure there's still time. Add one more day off to the 2002 fall semester. We've had time off to commemorate the deeds of a few misguided Halloween revelers, give us a day off to commemorate something worth celebrating.