11-11-11 Lest we forget

Every generation, nearly every country, has a special date burned in its collective memory. For each generation, there is a special date burned into its collective memory. Or 11-11-11 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month) when World War 1 ended.

For some people, “the” day might be Nov. 22, 1963 (the Kennedy assassination), or the date of the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. More recently, it could be, 9-11-01. If you have to think about it, odds are you were a very young child at the time.

11-11-11 is different. It was originally called Armistice Day, honoring the end of the war to end all wars. Wrong! It was later renamed Veterans Day and changed to one of those Monday holidays, but it was eventually changed back to Nov. 11, even though it is still known as Veterans Day. Many Americans, maybe most, probably don’t know when World War 1 took place, who took part in it. Maybe even who “won.”

Veterans Day, like Columbus Day, is one of those so-called federal holidays that many private sector firms (maybe most) don’t observe. You can take the day off, as vacation. Or you must work because it’s an important sales day.

Most feds are off today. But since 9-11, many more government workers are on duty this day — and other holidays. Many are doing their regular work in air traffic control centers, VA and PHS hospitals, post offices, in law enforcement or burning the midnight oil at the CIA, DIA, NSA, etc. If you guys aren’t the best, all the time, we are all in trouble.

So if you are off today, enjoy. Shop till you drop. Help boost the economy. But …

If you are working today, as many are, thanks for YOUR service too. If you like, let us know what, where and why you are on job today.

NEARLY USELESS FACTOID:

By Michael O’Connell

As a parody of the proliferation of abbreviations representing government agencies, the U.S. barbershop harmony organization adopted in 1938 the name The Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc., or SPEBSQSA for short.

Source: Wikipedia

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