Daniel Cucher

Why didn't we have school on Monday, Nov. 11? Was it because of Homecoming? Did Christmas come early this year? Were we busy celebrating the birthdays of Kurt Vonnegut and Leonardo DiCaprio? Was it to commemorate the official patenting of the telescope in 1851? Did someone call in a bomb threat?

Oh, right. Veteran's Day. One of those patriotic holidays, but without the exploding balls of colorful fire in the sky. So, why did we have school off Monday?

Before World War II, Nov. 11 was called "Armistice Day" to commemorate the ending of World War I ÷ the war to end all wars that failed to end all wars. Congress proposed the holiday in 1926 (although it wasn't named until 1938) because "it is fitting that · this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations."

Unfortunately, various nations have had differences in understanding since World War I. In 1954, Congress proposed to change Armistice Day to Veteran's Day and President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill "in order to expand the significance of that commemoration and in order that a grateful Nation might pay appropriate homage to the veterans of all its wars who have contributed so much to the preservation of this Nation · let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly · to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain."

So, what did you do on Monday? Did you take a few moments to solemnly appreciate our war veterans? Did you spend the day trying to promote peace and perpetrate good will? Most of us, I'm sure, did not even consider the meaning of the holiday.

It is no one's obligation but our own to maintain the importance of national holidays, to remember why we celebrate them. Especially in our generation, we students must stand in awe of the sacrifices that were made to safeguard our way of life.

Veteran's Day celebrates those who went to war for our country. Most of us have no idea what this means. When we think of war, we think of Vietnam or the upcoming war with Iraq. We face the idea of war with skepticism and mistrust. We have enough self-consciousness to realize America's misdeeds, but also an abundance of cynicism that makes us doubt what our country stands for. We have life so easy we never stop to consider how else we might live. If you're reading this, you're probably freer and wealthier than most of the world's population. But the life you know would not be possible were it not for America's veterans. They fought for you.

I think most of us believe that America is a good thing worth keeping around, but we have no frame of reference to understand what it means to fight for it. The best I can do is see a few gory war movies then imagine myself in the trenches and try to feel what it's like to risk my life for a nation's survival. It's still a far cry from reality. I don't walk away from an imaginary battle with emotional or bodily scars. I don't know what it's like to lose my family and friends in war. I can't feel the terror of charging the enemy, knowing that I must either kill or be killed, and that many lives depend on my success.

We have difficulty fathoming that it is sometimes necessary to bomb thousands of people. It is a horrific idea, but it was necessary in Germany during World War II, or the Nazis would have succeeded in taking over the world. This is not meant to justify America's current or future military operations. It is simply to put war in a theoretical context, so that we can look at it and recognize the painful dichotomy that war is both what we fight to avoid and also sometimes the only means of establishing peace.

At times, there arises an enemy that must be defeated violently. This is not a very comfy, pacifistic point of view, but it is realistic and well supported by world history. America has had to fight certain wars in order to survive as a free nation. As much as we hate war, we must still show our appreciation for those who fought in wars on our behalf.

When we turn our back on our veterans, we lose sight of their struggle. Their fight is our fight, only we see it less clearly because we live in peace. Let us make an effort to respect the fight for freedom ÷ it is one of the most basic human struggles. And let us bow our heads in reverence for those who fought so that we can live in peace.