Photo credits: Defense Imagery
Veterans Day 2009
Quote
On Veterans Day, we honor the heroes we have lost, and we rededicate ourselves to the next generation of veterans by supporting our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen as they return home from duty. Our grateful Nation must keep our solemn promises to these brave men and women and their families. They have given their unwavering devotion to the American people, and we must keep our covenant with them.
President Barack Obama
Teacher Resources
The Veterans Day Teachers Resource Guide is published in honor of U.S. Veterans by the Veterans Day National Committee
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Take A Deeper Look at History and Your World - Resources from ABC-CLIO
- Teacher Resource Guide - Veterans Day 2009
Congress has provided that November 11 of each year shall be set aside as a legal public holiday to honor our Nation's veterans. Across the nation and wherever Americans live and work around the world, Americans recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans.
This website provides resources for schools and teachers to use in planning celebrations to honor our nation's veterans.
Honor our Veterans. Record their stories!
VA and the Library of Congress Veterans History Project have a special message for all Americans this Veterans Day - Honor our Veterans. Record their stories! By recording the oral history of our Veterans, we preserve the human face of American history for generations to come and honor those men and women who swore to protect and defend the United States. Each day as Veterans Day approaches, the VA home page will introduce you to veterans' oral histories from the digital archive of the Library of Congress - one from each state and territory. Interested in a Veteran from your state? Just click on the map. Each day we will reveal five more states until Veterans Day.
To find out more about the Veterans History Project--and to listen to the stories and learn how you can submit your own veteran's oral history to the Library of Congress, please visit http://www.loc.gov/vets/.
Operation Caring Classroom
"Operation Caring Classroom" operates from November 9th - 13th. It is part of the 'Families Serve Too' Awareness Campaign which works to develop an understanding of the joys and hardships of life in military families. This project, now in its fourth year, and sponsored by the Armed Forces Foundation, partners a civilian and a military elementary school in all 50 states with the goal of educating civilian children about issues their peers may face when a loved one is away on a long deployment.
Operation Caring Classroom (OCC) is an opportunity for civilian children to develop compassion for their peers from military families as well as to learn about military life. Military children are provided an outlet to learn about Veterans Day and participate in activities which honor heroes like their parents. It is also a great way for them to feel recognized and appreciated by their friends from civilian households.
The program features five short chapters including an active or former member of the armed forces speaking to the children - emceed by Senator John McCain. It is designed to be played at the beginning of each day with each day featuring a new chapter. Each chapter will last no longer than 2-4 minutes and will feature that day's participant discussing their background and what Veterans Day means to them; concluding with a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance for all to join.
Senator John McCain - Senator John McCain comes from a long line of distinguished military service. Both his father and grandfather served in the Navy - both 4-Star Admirals. Senator McCain spent over 20 years in the Navy before retiring into politics.
Sergeant Michael Blair
USMC - Sgt. Blair has bravely served America overseas in the U.S. Marine Corps. In a tour in the Middle East, Sgt. Blair suffered a casualty and almost lost both of his legs. After multiple surgeries, he is able to walk again and still proudly serves our country today.-
Congressman Duncan D. Hunter
On September 12, 2001, Duncan D. Hunter quit his office job and decided to join the Marines. Over the next 6 years, he served America in three tours of the Middle East before being honorably discharged in 2007. He was elected to Congress in 2008 and represents California's 52nd District. -
Rear Admiral Matthew Nathan M.D.
Admiral Nathan is in command of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland (U.S. Naval Hospital). Since 2003, the hospital has served 1,600 wounded service members, including Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force personnel. The National Naval Medical Center is the hospital of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden and their families.
Sergeant Major Kenneth Preston
Sergeant Major Preston has served in the U.S. Army for over 30 years. He has steadily risen in the ranks to become the highest-ranking enlisted officer in the Army - an honor only 12 other individuals in history have received.-
Major General Ralph Jodice II
Maj. Gen. Jodice is the Commander of the Air Force District of Washington at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Of the many important missions that fly in and out of Andrews, arguably their most famous mission is to care for and supervise the flights of the President's airplane Air Force One and his helicopter Marine One.