On Veteran's Day, Thoughts on Building a Lasting Peace
Just eight days before the Nov. 11, 1918 Armistice ending World War I, my great uncle, Ira Pitzer, was killed during battle in France. His mother was overcome with grief for the rest of her life, a tragedy shared by so many families who have served in the military.
Veterans Day is to honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women in the armed forces. But Veterans Day also should mean something more, an inspiration to win a lasting peace.
As President Dwight Eisenhower once proclaimed on Veterans Day: "Let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain."
See my commentary at the Des Moines Register: