VFW Post 4941 will sell Buddy Poppies Nov. 7-8

BLACKSBURG - Blacksburg VFW Post 4941 and its Ladies Auxiliary will be distributing Buddy Poppies on Nov. 7-8 in honor of Veterans Day on Nov. 11. The post and auxiliary will be in and around Blacksburg at the Piggy Wiggly, Hardee's, Mcdonald's Flying J, Exxon and in Grover at Hickory Point.

Veterans Day is a day to remember all veterans - both living and deceased - and their sacrifices. It should not be a day of sadness, but a time of pride and reflection on what veterans have accomplished and the freedoms they have protected.

A most veterans know, Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day, an observance and anniversary of the end of World War I. Following the Korean War, President Eisenhower signed a bill expanding Armistice Day to honor all veterans. Congress passed a law in 1968 that changed the date to the fourth Monday in October.

Appropriately though the American people rejected that idea, perhaps fearing that the meaning of the day would become clouded in the haze of yet another excuse for a three-day weekend. In 1978 Congress returned Veterans Day to its traditional Nov. 11 observance.

While it capture the essence of Veterans Day, honoring the dead by helping the living is fulfilled every day by VFW members throughout nation. It is hoped that all citizens of the United States will take time to ponder how veterans have contributes to the nation. When one looks at rows upon rows of white crosses in a military cemetery, it's obvious.

But the nation is full of veterans how are still with us. They continue to actively serve their communities in an effort tot improve the country they love. Remember them on Nov. 11.

When you see a veteran, remember to thank them for their service to our country and the freedom and sacrifices that have been made for us to live in a free country.