Observing Veterans Day this Nov. 11 and remembering the patriotism, service, and willful sacrifice of the men and women that have served our country is both necessary and fundamental to our role as Americans.

What began in November 1919 as a dedication to those who served in World War I and the first anniversary of Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954, thereafter serving as a national holiday for prideful recognition of the American veterans of all wars.

Honoring the commitment of service men and women could not come at a more crucial time, given last Thursday’s mass shooting at the Fort Hood Army Post in Texas.  As the nation mourns the 12 soldiers and one civilian killed in the massacre, reports state that gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, had voiced his strong opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years.  In the wake of this tragedy, it is vital to recognize the immense self sacrifice that comes with military service, and realize the physical and psychological tolls that can come with the realities of deployment.

On Nov. 7 in the Robsham Theater, Mass Humanities held its sixth annual fall symposium, “Soldiers and Citizens: Military Culture in America,” which explored the social gap between military personnel and civilians. The necessary steps for facilitating an open relationship between the regimented ethos of military culture and a self-concerned society that questions figures of authority were considered in a series of panel discussions.  Amidst speculation surrounding such a divisive rift, some veterans from the audience expressed their feelings of alienation ─ their feeling that their military service and combat exposure has led to an inability to neither comfortably nor fully return to a civilian way of life.

In light of this event, it is important to  understand that while civilians may at times feel as though service men and women are of a wholly separate social caste ─ they are family members, friends, and neighbors ─ they are American citizens.  By remembering our veterans, we not only honor their service, but express our deep and sincere gratitude for their selfless acts of courage that have preserved the freedom of our nation and upheld the common good.  This Veterans Day, and every day, it is important to look beyond uniforms and military patches ─ beyond opposition to past and present military action ─ and observe that our present way of life is able to persist thanks to the dutiful service of our nation’s heroic veterans.