Veterans Day 2020

By Dennis R. Pierce
BLET National President

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, November 11 — We are grateful for the sacrifices our veterans have made — and continue to make — on our behalf. We are also grateful to the families of our veterans who bravely carry on with their normal lives while their loved ones are performing their dangerous duties overseas. On this Veterans Day, I ask all BLET members to join me in honoring those veterans and their families.

Veterans Day was first celebrated in 1938 when it was known as Armistice Day. Armistice Day was primarily instituted to honor veterans of World War I. After World War II, which required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen in the Nation’s history, and after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress changed the name of the holiday by replacing the word “Armistice” with the word “Veterans.” This was done at the urging of veterans’ service organizations in order to include veterans who served in all American wars. With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 83-380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all past and future wars.

Our way of life and the freedoms we enjoy are due in large part to our veterans. One of the most important freedoms we have is the right to vote in free and fair elections, and Americans exercised that right just last week, with the highest voter turnout since 1900. Regardless of the candidate of your choice, if you voted on November 3, then you should thank a veteran on November 11.

On behalf of all men and women of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, I salute the millions of veterans who proudly served America. You are the protectors of our way of life, and your sacrifices and devotion have preserved our freedoms for generations. I again ask all BLET members to join me in thanking veterans — and their families — on this Veterans Day.

Wednesday, November 11, 2020
bentley@ble-t.org