Staff Perspective: Veterans Day - More than Just a Day Off Work or a Free Meal for Military Families
My husband retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2003 after serving both stateside and overseas for over 20 years. I doubt if he fully understands how much I respect him for his service to our country. We have a 1-year-old daughter and I am excited to see how he will share his military experiences with her. To her, “DaDa” is already her favorite person in the world (which is very hard for a mom to admit), so I imagine she will think even more of him as she learns about his military service. I am so proud to be the wife of a Veteran that I wanted to better understand the origins of Veterans Day and to briefly examine what it might mean to military families.
Veterans Day History
Veterans Day was originally named Armistice Day after the armistice (cease-fire) signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 to signal the end of “The Great War” World War I (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, n.d.). The armistice of WWI was a momentous occasion and preceded the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which took place about seven months later. A year after the cease-fire, President Wilson declared 11 November 1919 the first Armistice Day. In 1938, the U.S. Congress declared Armistice Day an annual Federal holiday to celebrate veterans of WWI. Following the U.S. military involvement in WWII and the Korean War, on 1 Jun 1954, President Eisenhower changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day to honor all veterans (U. S. Army Center of Military History, 2010). At times, people confuse Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a holiday to remember those Service members who died serving their country. Veterans Day, on the other hand, is a holiday to acknowledge all Americans, living or dead, who honorably served in the U.S. Armed Forces both during war and peacetime (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, n.d.). Veterans Day is intended as a day to thank Veterans for the sacrifices made during their service, such as their dedication to keep Americans (and people around the world) safe, dealing with very long periods of separation from their loved ones, and moving to new military installations every few years.
The Veterans Day holiday remains on November 11th. However, if that date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, then it will normally be observed on the adjacent Friday or Monday. Some businesses are closed or offer free meals to Veterans on the holiday, but it is about so much more than a paid day off or a free meal.
Military Families
If not too bold, I would add that in addition to thanking Veterans for their service, that Veterans Day is also a day to thank the families of Veterans and Service members for their sacrifice as well. Research has shown that the experience of military families is generally positive and characterized by resilience (Meadows et al., 2016); however, there are military-specific stressors that can take a toll.
One of the most significant stressors faced by military families is the prolonged period of time away from their loved one who is serving due to deployments, training exercises, and/or unaccompanied assignments (Blue Star Families, 2016). Most spouses of Service members develop routines and rituals to deal with these long separations. However, it’s easy to imagine that both spouses and children endure challenges associated with accumulated time apart. According to the Blue Star Families study (2016), 32% of respondents spent at least 25% of the past 16 years away from home. Let’s think about that…this means that one-third of the Service members sampled spent a total of 4 of the last 16 years separated from their loved ones. I have so much respect for the men, women, and children who “hold down the fort” while their Service member spouse is away. Even more, consider the impact on dual military families (both spouses are Service members). I know of dual military families who had little to no time between one spouse returning from deployment and the other spouse leaving for deployment or training. The stress from this lifestyle can be overwhelming for some Service members and families.
Further unique military family stressors include frequent relocations, disruptions of spousal employment, and financial stress (Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, 2015). These issues may leave some military spouses and families feeling isolated and lacking support, unsatisfied professionally, and struggling with financial demands.
Additionally, the transitioning period out of the military can also be a significant stressor for military families (Blaisure et al., 2016). During this time, the new Veteran is dealing with a plethora of issues as he/she adjusts to life outside the military environment and the family is somewhat blindly trying to determine how to integrate them permanently back into the fold of family life. Many Veterans I know return to a military or government position after retiring or separating from military service, because it provides a familiar and comfortable environment that eases them into the transition process more than throwing them into the unknown of the civilian workforce.
Due to the unique stressors that Veterans and military families withstand and the sacrifices they make, Veterans Day is an opportunity to honor the Veterans who have honorably served and their family. Don’t get me wrong, I love having a paid day off and being able to get a free meal is always nice. But, Veterans Day means so much more to me as a proud wife of a Veteran!
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Erin Frick, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist and Military Behavioral Health Psychologist at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.
References
Blaisure, K. R., Saathoff-Wells, T., Pereira, A., Wadsworth, S. M., & Dombro, A. L. (2016). Serving military families: Theories, research, and application (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Blue Star Families. (2016). 2016 annual military family lifestyle survey: Comprehensive report. Retrieved from https://bluestarfam.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ComprehensiveReport-33.pdf
Meadows, S. O., Tanielian, T., & Karney, B. R. (2016a). How military families respond before, during and after deployment: Findings from the RAND deployment life study. (RAND Document No. RB-9906-A/OSD). Santa Monica, CA: The RAND Corporation.
Meadows, S. O., Tanielian, T., & Karney, B. R. (2016b). The deployment life study: Longitudinal analysis of military families across the deployment cycle. (RAND Document No. RR-1388-A/OSD). Santa Monica, CA: The RAND Corporation.
Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community & Family Policy. (2015). Military family life project: Active duty spouse study: Project report. Retrieved from http://www.militaryonesource.mil/MilFamStudy
U. S. Army Center of Military History. (2010, November 19). The History of Veterans Day. Retrieved from https://history.army.mil/html/reference/holidays/vetsday/vetshist.html
U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. (n.d.). History of Veterans Day. Retrieved from https://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. (n.d.). Veterans Day Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from https://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetday_faq.asp
My husband retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2003 after serving both stateside and overseas for over 20 years. I doubt if he fully understands how much I respect him for his service to our country. We have a 1-year-old daughter and I am excited to see how he will share his military experiences with her. To her, “DaDa” is already her favorite person in the world (which is very hard for a mom to admit), so I imagine she will think even more of him as she learns about his military service. I am so proud to be the wife of a Veteran that I wanted to better understand the origins of Veterans Day and to briefly examine what it might mean to military families.
Veterans Day History
Veterans Day was originally named Armistice Day after the armistice (cease-fire) signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 to signal the end of “The Great War” World War I (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, n.d.). The armistice of WWI was a momentous occasion and preceded the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which took place about seven months later. A year after the cease-fire, President Wilson declared 11 November 1919 the first Armistice Day. In 1938, the U.S. Congress declared Armistice Day an annual Federal holiday to celebrate veterans of WWI. Following the U.S. military involvement in WWII and the Korean War, on 1 Jun 1954, President Eisenhower changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day to honor all veterans (U. S. Army Center of Military History, 2010). At times, people confuse Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a holiday to remember those Service members who died serving their country. Veterans Day, on the other hand, is a holiday to acknowledge all Americans, living or dead, who honorably served in the U.S. Armed Forces both during war and peacetime (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, n.d.). Veterans Day is intended as a day to thank Veterans for the sacrifices made during their service, such as their dedication to keep Americans (and people around the world) safe, dealing with very long periods of separation from their loved ones, and moving to new military installations every few years.
The Veterans Day holiday remains on November 11th. However, if that date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, then it will normally be observed on the adjacent Friday or Monday. Some businesses are closed or offer free meals to Veterans on the holiday, but it is about so much more than a paid day off or a free meal.
Military Families
If not too bold, I would add that in addition to thanking Veterans for their service, that Veterans Day is also a day to thank the families of Veterans and Service members for their sacrifice as well. Research has shown that the experience of military families is generally positive and characterized by resilience (Meadows et al., 2016); however, there are military-specific stressors that can take a toll.
One of the most significant stressors faced by military families is the prolonged period of time away from their loved one who is serving due to deployments, training exercises, and/or unaccompanied assignments (Blue Star Families, 2016). Most spouses of Service members develop routines and rituals to deal with these long separations. However, it’s easy to imagine that both spouses and children endure challenges associated with accumulated time apart. According to the Blue Star Families study (2016), 32% of respondents spent at least 25% of the past 16 years away from home. Let’s think about that…this means that one-third of the Service members sampled spent a total of 4 of the last 16 years separated from their loved ones. I have so much respect for the men, women, and children who “hold down the fort” while their Service member spouse is away. Even more, consider the impact on dual military families (both spouses are Service members). I know of dual military families who had little to no time between one spouse returning from deployment and the other spouse leaving for deployment or training. The stress from this lifestyle can be overwhelming for some Service members and families.
Further unique military family stressors include frequent relocations, disruptions of spousal employment, and financial stress (Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, 2015). These issues may leave some military spouses and families feeling isolated and lacking support, unsatisfied professionally, and struggling with financial demands.
Additionally, the transitioning period out of the military can also be a significant stressor for military families (Blaisure et al., 2016). During this time, the new Veteran is dealing with a plethora of issues as he/she adjusts to life outside the military environment and the family is somewhat blindly trying to determine how to integrate them permanently back into the fold of family life. Many Veterans I know return to a military or government position after retiring or separating from military service, because it provides a familiar and comfortable environment that eases them into the transition process more than throwing them into the unknown of the civilian workforce.
Due to the unique stressors that Veterans and military families withstand and the sacrifices they make, Veterans Day is an opportunity to honor the Veterans who have honorably served and their family. Don’t get me wrong, I love having a paid day off and being able to get a free meal is always nice. But, Veterans Day means so much more to me as a proud wife of a Veteran!
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Erin Frick, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist and Military Behavioral Health Psychologist at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.
References
Blaisure, K. R., Saathoff-Wells, T., Pereira, A., Wadsworth, S. M., & Dombro, A. L. (2016). Serving military families: Theories, research, and application (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Blue Star Families. (2016). 2016 annual military family lifestyle survey: Comprehensive report. Retrieved from https://bluestarfam.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ComprehensiveReport-33.pdf
Meadows, S. O., Tanielian, T., & Karney, B. R. (2016a). How military families respond before, during and after deployment: Findings from the RAND deployment life study. (RAND Document No. RB-9906-A/OSD). Santa Monica, CA: The RAND Corporation.
Meadows, S. O., Tanielian, T., & Karney, B. R. (2016b). The deployment life study: Longitudinal analysis of military families across the deployment cycle. (RAND Document No. RR-1388-A/OSD). Santa Monica, CA: The RAND Corporation.
Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community & Family Policy. (2015). Military family life project: Active duty spouse study: Project report. Retrieved from http://www.militaryonesource.mil/MilFamStudy
U. S. Army Center of Military History. (2010, November 19). The History of Veterans Day. Retrieved from https://history.army.mil/html/reference/holidays/vetsday/vetshist.html
U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. (n.d.). History of Veterans Day. Retrieved from https://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. (n.d.). Veterans Day Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from https://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetday_faq.asp