This Veterans Day let us take a moment to remember the sacrifices made by those who answered the call to protect the freedom of our nation. Thank you to all veterans in the United States armed forces who have served America with honor!
Since the Revolutionary War more than 41 million Americans have served in our Nation’s military. The first Veterans were part of the Continental Army created in 1775 when colonial militias formed a common army under command of George Washington. Since then, the United States has declared war 11 times and fought in conflicts around the world.
We owe our Veterans and active service personnel a debt of gratitude. Through their sacrifice, they have safeguarded the ideals of our founding fathers, saved our nation, protected the innocent and liberated the oppressed. Each year on Veterans Day, we pay tribute to the generations of courageous men and women who served in the military.
Veterans can teach us a great deal about purpose, leadership, work ethic, and community. Their stories are inspiring and shouldn’t be relegated to a single day in November. Many of those stories have been captured through the Illinois Veteran’s Project where you can read about the Illinois men and women who served in the armed services. The Illinois State Library launched the project to create a permanent record of the names and stories of Illinois war Veterans and civilians who served our state and country during war, so that their contributions will not be forgotten.
