Over the course of the history of the United States, we have depended on our military to gain and maintain our independence, as well as protect us from numerous other threats to ensure our nation’s safety. In order for this to happen, thousands of selfless individuals have dedicated themselves to protect their nation, and have done things for this nation that are impossible to be repaid. In order to honor these people, every year on Nov. 11, we honor members of our nation’s services on the holiday Veterans Day. There is some controversy behind Veterans Day though, due to the name. Many believe that Veterans Day excludes current people in service, and this belief has stirred up some issues in the past few years with the holiday.

Veterans day was originally created by President Woodrow Wilson as Armistice Day in 1919. He made an address on the anniversary of the day that enemies of the U.S. laid down their arms ending World War I. He did this in order to honor the troops that fought in the war, and celebrate the Armistice that helped to end World War I. After Wilson’s address on Nov. 11, 1919, pushes were made in order to make Armistice Day a national holiday, dedicating a day to the cause of world peace. As it continued to be celebrated over the years, veterans from other wars were being recognized alongside those who helped bring peace during World War I, and the day became better known as Veterans Day, rather than Armistice Day. This has caused misconceptions of the holiday, with people believing that the sole purpose of the holiday is to celebrate veterans. It is important to honor veterans, but it is also important to honor those who did not get the chance to become veterans, or who are still in service.

Over the past few years, there have been some pushes made in order to change the name of Veterans Day to National Day of Service. These proposals were made in order to make Veterans Day more inclusive. If this were to go through, the National Day of Service would honor Veteran’s, people who died in battle, and current service members that are still sacrificing so much in order to keep our country safe. It would not only honor members of the military, but also first responders of our nation that help maintain peace and safety in the states. Overall, changing the name to National Day of Service would be beneficial in order to avoid misconceptions and give everyone the recognition they more than deserve.

It is important for us to be grateful for all of the people who work hard in order to keep our country safe. There are many nations in the world that don’t have militaries or first responders that are looking out for the citizens of their country, and it is something that we as a nation are truly blessed with. Each and every one of us should take time out of our lives, even if it isn’t Veterans Day or National Day of Service, to be grateful to the people of service who help us live safe and peaceful lives.