Guest Blog: Remembering Vets the Right Way

By LINDSAY BEYERSTEIN

Veterans Day used to be called Armistice Day. It was on November 11, 1918, that the First World War came to an end.

I grew up in Canada, where the holiday is known as "Remembrance Day." To me, Veterans Day is Remembrance Day, a very solemn holiday. Although all veterans are honored in Canada, World War I still sets the emotional tone.

Remembrance Day isn't about jingoism or hero worship. It's a time for reflection, for quiet, for sober appreciation of our losses. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, we observe two minutes of silence to commemorate the war dead.

Remembrance Day also is a time to take stock of mistakes and failures. War itself, we are reminded, is always a failure. The Canadian perspective on the holiday creates a healthy emotional distance between the war and the warriors. Again, the model is World War I, a bad war by anyone's estimation. Yet it feels natural and uncomplicated to honor the sacrifices of those who fought and died.

When the U.S. renamed the holiday "Veteran's Day," it was made more complicated. It is an awkward cross between an Armed Services Day and Remembrance Day. The holiday is supposed to honor all those who served in the U.S. military in wartime and at peace, but broadening the scope muddies its meaning. The holiday can't be a simple meditation on the horror of war -- especially if we happen to have troops in the field.

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Lindsay Beyerstein is a journalist, photographer and blogger. She holds forth on politics and current affairs, as well as offers the occasional recipe, at Majikthise.