Tomorrow is November 11, the anniversary of the end of World War I. Today we know it as Veterans Day. Veterans Day is a time to honor everyone who has worn the uniform of the United States.
Alabama is proud that the Veterans Day tradition started in Birmingham, in the aftermath of World War II when a local veteran named Raymond Weeks recognized the need for a day honoring all veterans. In 1947, Raymond Weeks petitioned the Army Chief of Staff, a General named Dwight Eisenhower, for a national Veterans Day.
Seven years later, General Eisenhower was President and signed it into law. Alabama is proud of Raymond Weeks, and we’re proud to be home to nearly 400,000 veterans, like Lieutenant Colonel Ron Skoneki from Montgomery, Alabama.
The son of Polish immigrants, he enlisted in the Air Force about as soon as he could—right after graduating from high school.
He served in Thailand during the Vietnam War, using his skills to repair and maintain aircraft for a strong defense. After 33 years of service, Lieutenant Colonel Skoneki retired.
He wanted to continue to serve, so he joined Alabama’s wing of the Civil Air Patrol in Montgomery, serving another 16 years helping to support the U.S. Air Force in a civilian capacity. Now, at 87 years old, he is just as proud of his time wearing the uniform as ever.
The same can be said of Command Sergeant Major Joe Godwin of Mobile. He says he first felt the call to serve when he was only 14 years old. By the time he was 17, he couldn’t wait anymore, so he got his dad’s permission to join the Army. Sergeant Major Joe Godwin went on to serve in three wars—World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He helped guard and transport the Nazi prisoners during the Nuremberg trials.
Today, Joe is 94 years old. When people tell him he’s a hero, he humbly says, the real heroes are the ones who didn’t make it back.
But he too is a hero, like everyone else who served. And we ought to thank them today, tomorrow, and every day.
Sergeant David Henry of Warrior, Alabama, reminds us that veterans’ families make sacrifices too. He served as a firefighter and a paramedic at the Warrior Fire Department before joining the army because of a pact made with his best friend.
He used these skills to serve as an Army Combat Medic during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. His first deployment came when his son was only six months old. Sergeant Henry deployed again to the Middle East when his son was three.
He had to sacrifice being an ocean away from his family. He had to explain to a three-year-old why Dad was going to be gone—and he didn’t know when he was coming back. A lot of families know what that’s like. And so, on Veterans Day we ought to thank their families too. They’re also making a sacrifice.
Today, Sergeant Henry is back in Sweet Home Alabama. We are deeply grateful for his service to Alabama and to America.
Colonel Skoneki, Sergeant Major Godwin, and Sergeant Henry, are just three examples of the 400,000 heroes who call Alabama their home. The writer G.K. Chesterton once said, “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”
You can see that in the lives of these Alabamians.
Our veterans fought because they believe in the United States of America. They believed America was worth fighting for and even dying for. They lay down their lives for the people of this country—for millions of people they don’t even know.
Everything we have in this country depends on our military.
Our economy, our security, and our way of life are all dependent on the military. President Ronald Reagan summed it up best when he said, “Veterans know better than anyone else the price of freedom, for they have suffered the scars of war. We can offer them no better tribute than to protect what they have won for us.”
This Veterans Day weekend, I hope we will remember the price of freedom and those who have paid it. And so, to all of our veterans: ‘thank you’ for your service, thank you for your sacrifice to ensure America remains a country of freedom and opportunity for generations to come.
U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville is the senior senator from Alabama and a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committees.
