Honor veterans requires more than holidays

PBS Capitol 4th

Four out of ten Federal Holidays are about the men and women serving this country.

Federal Holiday
1. New Year’s Day
2. Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
3. Washington’s Birthday

*This holiday is designated as "Washington’s Birthday" in section 6103(a) of title 5 of the United States Code, which is the law that specifies holidays for Federal employees. Though other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is our policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law.

4. Memorial Day
5. Independence Day
6. Labor Day
7. Columbus Day
8. Veterans Day
9. Thanksgiving Day
10. Christmas Day

George Washington was the 1st President and a veteran.

The History of America’s Independence Day

On June 11, 1776, the colonies' Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and formed a committee whose express purpose was drafting a document that would formally sever their ties with Great Britain. The committee included Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. Jefferson, who was considered the strongest and most eloquent writer, crafted the original draft document (as seen above). A total of 86 changes were made to his draft and the Continental Congress officially adopted the final version on July 4, 1776.

The truth is, we may honor them with holidays, but we don't honor them with days of caring for them. The problems within the VA are not new. Nothing is new. That is the most disgraceful thing of all. We let it all happen because we forgot about them.

U.S. troops celebrate July 4th in Afghanistan
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July 4, 2014 4:04 PM EDT — American troops mark July 4th at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan with music and games. (Reuters)