Veterans Day vital reminder freedom isn't free

The next time you're tempted to complain or gloat about the outcome of Tuesday's election, keep one thing in mind: Voting is a priviledge given to you by the sacrifice of the American veteran.

We tend to forget that our system of government is a rarity in this world, that Thomas Jefferson was accurate in his observation that "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

That unfortunate truth has ensured a continuous supply of veterans, those who have sacrificed their most productive years in the service of their country.

They served when the cause was clear, such as World War II, and when it was less clear, such as Vietnam and perhaps even today's conflict in Iraq.

Veterans Day originated as "Armistice Day" on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of what we naively called "the war to end all wars," World War I.

Congress passed a resolution for an annual observance in 1926, it became a national holiday in 1938, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day, admitting that the supply of veterans had continued to expand.

The trend has continued, of course. There were 24.5 million military veterans in the United States in 2004, including 3.9 million World War II veterans, or 16 percent of the total.

Of the total, 1.7 million vets are women, 16 percent of them of the Persian Gulf War, and 2.4 million black and 1.1 million Hispanic, showing that the traditional stereotype of a veteran as an aging white male to be less and less accurate.

Still, 9.5 million of them were age 65 or older in 2004, 8.1 million were Vietnam-era veterans, 412,000 served in both Vietnam and the first Gulf War, 343,000 served in both the Korean and Vietnam wars, and 80,000 in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, and according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

We spent $59.6 billion for veterans benefits programs in 2004, and that same year, 2.6 million living veterans received $22.4 billion in compensation for service-connected disabilities.

We must take care of those veterans, of course, and many argue that we are not doing enough. That is a debate for another day.

Still, when we consider entering into a military conflict, the financial, emotional and societal cost in disruption of lives and continuing care for those disabled by their service must be considered, as well as the cost of providing the benefits to which every veteran is entitled.

It is not only fitting that we observe Veterans Day each year on Nov. 11, it's vital as a national reminder that freedom isn't free.