“Barbara Nevin’s son, Corporal Edmund M. Nevin”
Barbara Nevin is on the board of Beyond the Yellow Ribbon in Chanhassen and helped found the Veteran’s Court in Carver County.
As a lawyer, I am aware that on November 11th most of the courts will be closed and mail will not be delivered in Honor of Veterans’ Day. Perhaps some of us have children whose schools will be closed on that day as well.
In my family, my son Eddie was a U.S. Marine infantryman who served two tours of duty in Iraq. My father Sam, also served during World War II and lost a brother in the Asian Theater.
Hopefully, on this day, many of us will take a few minutes out of our day to give thanks to all Veterans who served our country.
Veteran’s Day was initially called Armistice Day after World War I ended on November 11, 1919. It became a legal Federal holiday in 1938. President Eisenhower changed Armistice Day to Veteran’s Day in 1954. There are approximately 23.2 million Veterans in the United States at the present time. 9.2 million Veterans are over 65 and 1.9 million Veterans are under 35. There are also 1.8 million women Veterans.
Many establishments have freebies for Veterans. A few of them are as follows: free haircuts at Great Clips, free meals at Olive Garden, McCormick and Schmicks, Applebee’s, Denny’s, Chile’s, Ihop, Little Caesar’s, Starbucks, Arby’s, Green Mill, and Panera Bread. Retail establishments such as Sears, J.C. Penny’s, and Barnes and Nobles offer discounts to Veterans.
We as citizens of our country can also do our share to thank our Veterans. Many Courts in Minnesota now have Veteran’s Courts. They can be found in Hennepin, Carver, Ramsey, Washington, Anoka and other counties. If your county does not have a Veteran’s Court, speak with your county attorneys and judges and recommend that your county develop this helpful program. Veterans often receive needed services through the court system in the counties that have these programs.
Also, become involved in Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Programs that assist military families, or donate to causes such as USO, Wounded Warrior or other organizations that help Veterans. If you see a Veteran such as my father with his World War II cap on, do more than thank him for his service. Engage him, or others about their service. They welcome an audience!
Veteran’s Day gives us all a chance to think of all the freedoms we have and to thank those who made it possible!
