“Thank you to the courageous men and women who have sacrificed so much to give us the freedoms we have today.”

On Monday, November 11, Veterans Day will be a time for us to honor and thank all of the courageous men and women in uniform who have shown tremendous patriotism, love of country, and sacrificed so much to give us the freedoms we have today. Please join with everyone at Bingham Memorial Hospital as we salute our Nation’s veterans for Veterans Day.

Sacrifice is the act of giving up something you value in behalf of someone else. And perhaps no greater group has sacrificed so much over the history of our great Nation than our veterans. They give of their time, their talents and in some cases, even their lives. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 18.8 million military veterans living in U.S. today, with more than 1.2 million in Idaho.

Veterans Day started out as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary marking the end of World War I. Beginning in 1938, Nov. 11 became a national holiday and then legislation was signed in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day as a way to honor those who served in all American wars.

It’s important to understand the difference between Memorial Day (the fourth Monday in May) and Veterans Day. Memorial Day honors American service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle, while Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans—living or dead—but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.

Thank you to all of the courageous men and women in uniform for your service to our country. We greatly appreciate you.