What Veterans Day Means to Me: Echoes of the Greatest Generation

A Legacy of Service

Veterans Day has never been just another date on the calendar for me. It’s not simply a day off work or a social media post thanking those who served. For me, it’s personal—woven into the fabric of my family history, my sense of identity, and my belief in what it means to be American.

My maternal grandfather was a proud Marine who served in the Pacific during World War II. He was one of eight siblings (18 children total) from his family who answered the call to defend freedom at a time when the world stood on the edge of darkness. Think about that—eight from one family. The magnitude of that sacrifice is staggering. Each one stepped up, not for recognition or glory, but because it was the right thing to do. That sense of shared duty, of quiet courage, is something I’ve carried with me all my life.

On the other side of my family, my paternal grandfather flew over 25 missions as a gunner aboard a B-17 bomber out of England. He and his crew stared down death with every flight, knowing full well that many who took off in those lumbering bombers never made it back. They did it anyway. He was shot down over occupied France on his first mission. 

They believed in something bigger than themselves—an ideal of freedom, of right versus wrong, of standing up when it mattered most and could have cost everything.

The Greatest Generation

We don’t call them “The Greatest Generation” for nothing. These were men and women who grew up in the Great Depression and then saved the world from tyranny before coming home to build the most prosperous nation in history. They didn’t demand praise. They didn’t wallow in their trauma. There were no “safe rooms” or “time-outs”. They rolled up their sleeves and went to work—raising families, building communities, creating opportunity for those who came after them.

It is humility and strength of character that made them great. They understood that service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. It’s something you live every day—through how you treat others, how you show up for your community, and how you lead your life with purpose.

Their greatness wasn’t about perfection. It was about perseverance. It was about values that still matter today: honor, integrity, sacrifice, and love of country.

Still Great Today

Sometimes people talk about “the good old days” as if greatness were something frozen in time. But I don’t believe that. I believe that same spirit still runs through our veins. Look around and you’ll see it—young men and women volunteering to serve, veterans mentoring each other through tough transitions, communities rallying to help those in need, and ordinary Americans standing up for what’s right when it counts.

Greatness is not a relic of the past; it’s a living tradition. It’s a richness inherited from those who came before, but it also has to be earned, day after day. My grandfathers and their generation handed us a torch. What we do with it defines who we are.

Carrying the Torch

This Veterans Day, I think about those two men: one island hopping in Marine Corps green, one behind a Browning .50-cal high above Europe, and the millions like them. I think about the freedom they fought to preserve and the quiet expectation that we would honor it not just with words, but with how we live.

Veterans Day isn’t just about looking back. No, it’s about looking forward with gratitude, courage, and resolve.