Friends of the National World War II Memorial paid tribute to the more than 16 million men and women who served with the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II at a special Veterans Day event at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

World War II veteran Ewing H. Miller (pictured above right) delivered the ceremony’s keynote address. Miller served in the U.S. Army Air Force from 1942 to 1945 as a B-24 heavy bomber pilot assigned to the 15th Air Force, 719 Squadron (The Flying Horsemen), which flew from a base in Italy. Nicknamed “Wing” by his fellow flyers, Miller flew more than 20 missions during the war. In February 1945, Miller’s plane was downed by a direct flack burst in the bomb bay, and he was the sole survivor. He spent the rest of the war as a POW.

Just one month after celebrating his 95th birthday and braving Sunday’s chilly weather to attend the event, Miller says he participates in the ceremonies at the World War II Memorial as a way to honor his lost crew members and friends. 

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Navy Admiral Asks Americans to Pause and Reflect on Those Who Protected Our Freedom

By (Ret.) U.S. Navy Admiral Earl L. Gay, CNCS Senior Advisor for Wounded Warriors, Veterans, and Military Family Initiatives

Each year on Veterans Day, we stop to pay tribute to all the brave women and men of the military, and their families who have made – and continue to make – selfless sacrifices in service to America. As a Navy veteran, I am guided by the pride armed forces veterans feel for our nation and send a special salute to the veterans who have chosen to serve again through national service programs.

At the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), we believe that one of the simplest ways to support America’s communities is through the power of people who are willing to give their time to make things better. The list of challenges our nation faces and neighbors who can use our help is long, but if we have the will to face them head on, we can change lives for the better.

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The Corporation for National and Community Service joins the Department of Veterans Affairs and the federal family during the commemoration of National Veterans and Military Families Month and Veterans Day on Saturday, Nov. 11 – a fitting tribute as we enter this season of thanks.

Some history first. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, an armistice went into effect, effectively signaling cessation of hostilities between Allied nations and Germany marking the end of World War I, “the war to end all wars.” 

President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11, 1919, as the first commemoration of Armistice Day – the precursor of Veterans Day in the United States – noting how the day should be observed:

“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America …" 

Our veterans are cut from a different cloth, serving as defenders of American principles and protectors of freedom around the globe. In peace and in wartime, each generation has accepted this responsibility by facing danger with unparalleled valor and taken on the challenges before them with an unbreakable spirit and will to complete their mission. 

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by: Heather Joslyn, via The Chronicle of Philanthropy

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By Neal Pointer, Vietnam Veteran and AmeriCorps VISTA member with Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity

 “As a Vietnam veteran, it was a remarkably emotional and healing experience to stand on hallowed ground and build houses that will one day provide safe, decent, affordable shelter for families in need. And it was an experience I never would have had without AmeriCorps. I signed up as an AmeriCorps VISTA member two years ago at the behest of Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity. I’d been volunteering there for nine years when someone on staff, who knew that I’d done a tour in Vietnam, asked me to apply so that I could create a program to help serve veterans and their families.” – Neal Pointer

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This Veterans Day we want to recognize Neal for his dedication to a life of service!

By Robert L. Gordon III, President of Be the Change, Inc., former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense

Robert L. Gordon III, president of Be the Change, Inc., shares how his family’s experience represents “a new transformative continuum, with Veterans and military family members transitioning out of military service to bring their talents, commitment, and sense of duty to the national civilian service sector to tackle some of the nation’s most pressing problems.”

There is a well-known picture in my family of my father, my brother and me – all in our military and cadet uniforms – laughing on our sofa at my parents’ home in Colorado Springs. Indeed, my father and I served a total of 53 years in the Army, and my brother spent six years serving as an Air Force Officer. My sister married an Army engineer captain, who eventually went on to become a senior Foreign Service Officer in the Department of State. My mother and wife, both military spouses, were instrumental to strengthening our familial and military communities as we deployed and moved to scores of military installations at home and abroad.

Our experience underscores the commitment my family made to serve our country across two generations, and now we watch proudly as our children carry the legacy in national civilian service. One of my sons, three nieces and one nephew have all served in national civilian service organizations, City Year and Teach for America, which are members of the AmeriCorps network. We value their service in high poverty schools and challenged communities to make a measurable and meaningful difference. My son served in an elementary school in Boston, while years later one of my nieces found herself in service for two years as a teacher in an underserved school in Atlanta.

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Robert L. Gordon III is the President of Be the Change, Inc.. He is the former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy, and a 26 year Army Veteran. He is a member of the Leadership Council of the Franklin Project on national service at The Aspen Institute.

By Marilyn Westbrook, Serve Impact

Today, we recognize Silas (Si) Barnes for his incredible commitment to a lifetime of national service. 

An “unsung hero” in Albany, GA. Si Barnes served his country under the most difficult of times. At the age of 90, with a list of military honors from Bronze Medal Star, Purple Heart/Gold Star, Prisoner of War, WW II Victory medal, and a continuing list, Si Barnes could have finished out his “golden years” sitting around, telling war stories. And yes, he will sit down with anyone and give you a military history lesson that surpasses any history book. However, Si has helped hundreds of people that have lost their homes, loved ones, and material possessions because of natural disasters. For fifteen years of volunteering with the American Red Cross, Si has helped people get back on their feet.

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By CNCS Staff

National Service News Week In Review

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By Wendy Spencer

CNCS is Honored to Salute Our Nation’s Veterans

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