DEBORAH SIMMONS: Veterans Day is a time for honor, respect and thanks

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

On Veterans Day, give honor, respect and thanks a zillion times over.

The “Concert for Valor” is a musical tribute with big names expected to draw a big crowd and destined to be really good.

More than 800,000 are expected to take to the National Mall on Tuesday to hear The Boss, see what attire Rihanna is wearing and listen to Jennifer Hudson and Carrie “Sunday Night Football” Underwood belt out a few tunes.

You can sit home and watch the free concert on HBO, especially if you have little ones in strollers, which won’t be allowed.

And, if you’re like the untold millions paying homage this Veterans Day in a more somber fashion, then, hey, so be it.

America has had a national holiday for veterans since Nov. 11, 1919, in honor of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month a year earlier, when our armistice with Germany to end World War I took effect. A generation later, in 1945, a World War II veteran named Raymond Weeks of Alabama began petitioning Gen. Dwight Eisenhower to support a national day of honor for all veterans, and President Eisenhower obliged in 1954 after congressional passage of such a bill.

Veterans Day is at once a somber reminder and a celebratory occasion. It is a day to remember the sacrifices that so many Americans made for our liberty and freedom, and a day to honor those in faraway lands, where Americans died. And to remember American POWs and MIAs, who remain trapped in the ironies of this war-torn world we occupy. For many of us, it’s also a day to say “thank you” to members of our very own family.

My Veterans Day homages will likely begin like yours. I will visit the gravesite of my dad, Arnold P. Simmons, who spent practically his entire adult life as a public servant: First he served in World War II as a radio man. (Communications, huh?) Then, in the 1950s, he joined the Department of Army heraldry division, where he designed military insignias and government logos. He even helped design the inaugural logo for the Environmental Protection Agency. Our family will spend time at Daddy’s gravesite at Fort Lincoln Cemetery, a Civil War-era site built to defend the nation’s capital.

Next, I try to reach Aunt Myrtis in Pittsburgh, a Korean War veteran, and my cousins, Jack Bishop and Jeffrey Matthews, Army veterans. I’ll also toss a kiss into the air for Uncle Julian, a diplomat who served at home and abroad. (And when I get off work, I’ll pour a libation for all veterans.)

Indeed, there is much to be thankful for and much to celebrate, which perhaps explains why, with the exception of Bruce Springsteen, the headliners for the “Concert for Valor” are not card-carrying members of AARP.

Rihanna, Carrie, Eminem? Look, these dolls and this guy are post-Vietnam War. Rihanna’s probably the baby in the bunch, and Eminem’s hard-knock life has him looking old enough to be her dad.

The real age-gap filler? That would be Bruce Springsteen. He, the ageless rocker. He, the musical bridge. He, the musical anti-war steward.

Yes. Yes, he is.

Many of you may not know or simply cared to forget that “War” was a biggie for Bruce and the E Street Band back in 1986 after it was penned and recorded as a counterculture song at Motown in 1970. Considered one of the top protest songs ever, “War: What is it good for?” and accompanying lyrics synchronized with Mr. Springsteen’s high-energy performance also make it unforgettable.

While the original “War” was definitely anti-Vietnam, the Springsteen version was anti-Reagan.

Little coincidence, perhaps, that Americans turned their backs on Vietnam vets because they didn’t like the war, and now the quintessential American rock star who used an anti-war song to make a name for himself is set to perform at a concert to honor veterans and others in the military.

Interestingly, the Springsteen version of “War” was part of the “Born in the U.S.A.” tour, whose namesake was one of Mr. Springsteen’s biggest-ever hits and whose lyrics also speak volumes.

A convoy of honor

A little more than a month from now, hundreds of volunteers are scheduled to make a trek to Arlington National Cemetery to lay wreaths at some 235,000 graves.

The convoy and tug-at-your-heart effort Wreaths Across America is to pay tribute to our veterans and civilians who have gone on to glory. Sure, many of those buried at Arlington did not die on a battlefield. President John F. Kennedy, heavyweight champ Joe Louis, astronaut Gus Grissom, Maj. Gen. Jeanne M. Holm, John S. McCain Jr. and Sr., the father and grandfather of the U.S. senator. Medgar Evans was laid to rest there, too.

The 2014 National Wreaths Across America Day is set for Dec. 13, and the volunteers won’t merely be laying ordinary wreaths. “Each of the 10 bouquets in the wreath represents a symbol, such as the veterans’ faith and love for one another. The wreath as a whole stands for honor, respect and victory. The red bow at the top represents great sacrifice,” writes reporter Mark Pace in our front-page story.

Honor.

Respect.

Even if you do not support the military.

• Deborah Simmons can be reached at dsimmons@washingtontimes.com.