Besides a border, something the United States and Canada share is a Federal (or in the case of Canada, a Commonwealth) holiday to honor our Veterans.  In the U.S. it is called Veterans Day, and in Canada it is called Remembrance Day.  It was originally created to commemorate the ending of World War I by President Woodrow Wilson in the U.S. (first known as Armistice Day).  It recognizes the 11^th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Germans signed the Armistice ending World War I.

But did you know that it was a shoe store owner in Emporium, Kansas named Alfred King who—in 1953—started to lobby to have the day honor all veterans—not just those from World War I?  He got local schools and government offices in Emporium to shut their doors. Then, in 1954, President Eisenhower signed a law making “Veterans Day” the official name and making it a Federal holiday to honor all veterans.

Now that you have had your primer on what Veterans Day is, what does it mean to you? Most of us probably don’t remember World War I—maybe not even World War II, having lived through more recent wars.  We remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice with their lives, and honor those who returned home with lives profoundly changed.  But we need to also honor those who, although perhaps not on the battlefield , worked to support these heroes by doing their jobs to the best of their ability, also in the service of their country.

CWT’s Military and Government Division has a special tie to the current group of soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen who will, at some point, join the current 24.3 million Veterans we will honor this November 11.  They are both our protectors and our clients. We go the extra mile to do all possible to ease the way of their difficult mission.  This month, CWT’s North American President, Jack O’Neill, along with the President of CWT’s M&G Division, Kelly Kuhn, will present a donation our leadership team raised to the USO to buy phone cards for soldiers overseas so that they may speak as often as possible to their loved ones.

What will you do this Veterans Day?  While you honor our Veterans, think about how you can make a difference in their lives in the coming year.