Alright folks, take a seat, it's time for a little history lesson. The year was 1918, and the world was just coming out of the most catastrophic event to date, World War I, or as it was called at the time, The Great War.
In November of the following year, President Woodrow Wilson signed a piece of legislation making November 11, 1919 the first "Armistice Day." Congress recognized the holiday in June 1926 as 27 states had already proclaimed it a recognized holiday. In October 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a "Veterans Day Proclamation" stating, "In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose." Now, every Nov. 11, the country recognizes its service members and the people thank them for everything they do.
Since the introduction of the national holiday, many organizations and universities, including Ball State University, have contributed in one way or another to Veterans Day. Ball State's Student Veterans Organization will celebrate the holiday with "To Honor Our Wounded Warriors" in Lucina Hall. At the celebration, Ball State graduate and U.S. Army Master Sgt. Jeff Mittman, who was severely wounded during his tour of Iraq, will speak, Beck Hannaford, veterans benefits and financial assistant coordinator, said.
Mittman served in Desert Storm and Shield during the Gulf War and was also a part of the Rakkasans Battalion, where he served in Korea. Mittman was deployed to Iraq in 2005 as an advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior, according to his biography. On July 7, 2005, Mittman and his team were attacked and an Improvised Explosive Device exploded near his convoy. As a result of the blast, Mittman lost a majority of his facial features and vision. For the next four years, Mittman went through more than 40 surgeries and has worked courageously to recover both physically and emotionally. His most recent surgery put in dental implants to replace his lost teeth.
Mittman is married to Christy and is the father of two children, Payton and Jamie. His family has been very supportive of Jeff in his long road to recovery.
He has received praise from the White House and Senate. He has relayed his story to numerous groups around the nation and has shared his story to thousands of students.
His story is one of courage and strength; however, it is not the only one. Every day, our soldiers are serving their country at home and abroad, and this holiday is our way of saying "thank you" to them. These men and women sacrifice their lives and safety to ensure that our lives back home can remain safe from harm.
Without them, we wouldn't be able to call the U.S. the land of the free and the home of the brave. So the next time you see a service member, stop and thank them for their dedication, pay them the respect they deserve and tell them to have a hella good day.
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