The temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, for that reason November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of "the war to end all wars". The official treaty, Treaty of Versailles, was signed on June 28, 1919.

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11th as the first commemoration of Armistice Day to honor the veterans of World War I. In 1954, the 83rd Congress amended the act by striking the word "Armistice" and inserting the word "Veterans" to honor American veterans of all wars. On June 1, 1954, November 11th became the day to honor the all veterans of the United States.

Veterans Day is one of those holidays that the general population of the United States considers a "day off" from work, taking little time to consider nor realize the impact that the veteran of our military services has contributed to our society, lives, or our great nation. Very little emphasis of this past is even mentioned in the history classes of our school system. In this era, of "political correctness" it is not popular to discuss the achievements and sacrifices that the military services have made to our nation.

Today, we hear our politicians publicly demonstrate that we must support our troops, but when it comes time to demonstrate these shallow words, we see them cut budgets and even defame our military leadership in order to enhance their personal political futures. They fail to realize that the lack of support and respect for the leadership has the same affect downward through the Chain of Command. The American Soldier, Airman, Marine, and Sailor is trained to follow the orders of those appointed over them. Any other system would create chaos and the failure to accomplish any mission assigned. Those following the orders are not always going to agree with the order, however, the order must be obeyed unless legal procedures prevail. The system has worked very well since the concept of the our origination as a nation.

I am Veteran, a title that I am very proud of, just as I am as proud of our military men and women that serve today. I can relate to the hardships and sacrifices that they make on a daily basis. The loneliness when standing on the decks of a heaving ship at night, looking out across the vastness of the sea wondering what your wife and children are doing at that particular moment. Realization sets in that you are missing several of their birthdays, or seeing them off to school, or something as simple as sitting down to dinner with them. You recall a Valentine's Day evening when your squadron is scheduled to depart for sea, as you are saying your good-byes, your young son crawls up onto your lap, tears running down his cheeks and asks "why do you have to go daddy", restraining your own tears you can only reply "so perhaps you will never have to go". In time, reality sets in that you still have six more months of the cruise to complete before you once again unite as a family.

Every person that enters the military takes an oath to uphold the Constitution and obey the orders of those appointed over them. The President of the United States, is the Commander In Chief of our military services, it is his sole responsibility when it comes to the decisions involving the deployment of our military units. This is not a decision that may be passed down, it is his alone. Before you quickly criticize a sitting Commander In Chief, perhaps you should consider stepping into his shoes and having to make these decisions on a daily basis, knowing that you are sending men and women into harm's way.

The current Commander in Chief, President George Bush is most likely one of the most popular and respected Commanders of the military community. On September 11th, while sitting in a classroom reading a story to the children, it was whispered to him that we had just been attacked on three fronts by terrorists. Today, when seeing this image you can see the look in his eyes when being told, paused a moment to reflect upon the situation and returned to completing the story. Upon completion, he addressed those assembled what had happened and departed for Air Force One. It was at this moment, he realized that he was the Commander In Chief and the decisions ahead were his alone. Decisions that no other President had ever had to make, except with the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Those within the Chain of Command needs a Commander that will make those hard decisions, despite the popular opinions and how those decisions will be reflected in the political polls. You do not always have to agree with a decision, but you have to respect the person that has the ability to make one. Do these decisions play a role in his life? That has been apparent to me since the beginning, he knows what affect his decisions are having on the lives of those that serve, but he also knows the consequences if those decisions are not made. That came even more apparent to me today as I watched him make a presentation at the opening of Marine Corps Historical Museum and in celebration of the Marine Corp Birthday.

In the audience, two parents were sitting in the front row. As he was closing out his presentation about the history of the Marine Corps, he opened up a second black folder, I noticed his hands tremble as he opened it and begin reciting the notes inside. It was about young Marine in Iraq, who had enlisted into the Marine Corps out of high school, coincidently, he shared the same birth date of the Marine Corps, today, November 10th. He was in charge of a detail that had stopped a convoy of cars trying to get across the border into Syria. While searching one of the cars, an occupant jumped out and grab him by the throat, they were engaged in hand to hand combat, when the young marine yelled at his men to watch his hands, just then a hand grenade came out of the terrorists jacket and landed in front of the squad. The Marine broke loose and taking his helmet covered the grenade with that and his body. The hand grenade exploded, the young Marine died a few days later from the wounds he suffered. His actions saved the lives of his fellow Marines.

As this strong image of the Commander In Chief, President of the United States, reciting the story, he had to stop several times to wipe away the tears and pause in order that he could continue. In closing, he read the official citation, awarding this young Marine the highest decoration that may be bestowed upon a military person, the Medal of Honor. This was the first Medal of Honor issued in the war on terrorism. The parents in the audience were the mother and father of the fallen Marine, Corporal Jason Dunham, today was his 25th birthday.

The image of the President, the honest emotional aspect that he was going through brought tears to my eyes. It also made me realize that the toll it must take on him on daily basis when he reads the casualty list of those military men and women that are lost or wounded because he ordered them into harms way. His decision alone, the position of Commander In Chief is a lonely spot. No military person can ask for more than having a Commander who cares about his men, our Commander In Chief is such a man.