The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. That’s how people remember Veterans Day. Every year on Nov. 11, the United States celebrates Veterans Day, honoring the brave souls who fought for our country. Other countries, such as France, Russia and the UK, celebrate similar days. But what is the story behind Veterans Day, and why do we celebrate it? The reason behind it starts with one war: World War I.
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was killed by Gavrilo Princip. After the assassination, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum, or a demand that has a warning that a specific action will take place if the demand is not met, to Serbia. The ultimatum was then rejected, which caused Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia. On July 28, 1914, a month after the assassination, World War I began.
World War I lasted a little over four years, starting on July 28, 1914, to November 11, 1918. During World War I, 8.5 million soldiers died either from disease or wounds from battles. 20 years later, World War II began on Sept. 1, 1939. World War II lasted six years, ending on Sept. 2, 1945. 20-25 million soldiers died in World War II, which is about 11.5 million more than in World War I.
Now, what makes a veteran a veteran?
Veterans consist of different people who served in different branches of the military. The branches include the Navy, Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Space Force and the Coast Guard. To be considered a veteran, a person must have served in active military, naval or air service and been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
Elizabeth Barron joined the Army in August 2022 and served for five years. At a young age, Barron knew she wanted to join the military.
“My dad loved watching war movies, and I don’t know why, but I remember thinking it was the most honorable thing a person could do; to offer one’s life for their country,” Elizabeth Barron said. “As I grew up, I found a passion in helping people who were mentally struggling.”
The Army offers many different jobs, the most common being Infantry (MOS 11) and Combat Medic (MOS 68). Other jobs the Army offers are Certified Nurse Midwife (66W), Cyber Capability Development Officer (17D), and Carpentry and Masonry Specialist (12W). When Elizabeth Barron joined the Army, she chose to become a Behavioral Health Specialist.
“My job was to help soldiers who struggled with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health issues,” Elizabeth Barron said.
In a study done in 2014, almost 25% of nearly 5,500 active-duty, non-deployed Army soldiers surveyed tested positive for a mental disorder, while 11%, or 605 soldiers, tested positive for more than one illness. In the military, the number one cause of death is suicide, with 523 service members committing suicide as of 2023. Out of this number, 363 were active-duty, 69 were reserves and 91 were National Guard.
Alongside Elizabeth Barron was her husband, Bryce Barron. Bryce Barron served in the Army for four and a half years. With Elizabeth Barron wanting to join the Army due to her passion for helping people, Bryce Barron joined for another reason.
“I wanted to join to serve my country and to have a great stepping stone in starting life,” Bryce Barron said.
Although she knew she wanted to enlist in the military, Elizabeth Barron had another plan in mind as well.
“I was going to get my undergrad at a community college,” Elizabeth Barron said. “Then, I had hoped to transfer to Indiana University for my Doctorate in Psychology.”
With Elizabeth Barron wanting to follow her passion for helping people, Bryce Barron wanted to do something a little more personal.
“My original goal was to help my dad get his citizenship,” Bryce Barron said. “Once I found out that it was a little more complicated than that, I decided that maybe I could help others. I wasn’t disappointed; I was still excited to be able to serve.”
Nerves can definitely be something many people face, whether it’s something small, like meeting new people, or something big, like joining the military. When Elizabeth Barron joined, she was nervous.
“I remember my first night in the barracks. I was shaking in my bunk,” Elizabeth Barron said. “I was 18 and just graduated from high school. So, I was really just trying to trust God with His plan for me.”
Although Elizabeth Barron was nervous, she still worked hard, making friends that would last a lifetime. Turns out that the hard work would pay off.
“I was the only female honor graduate in my battalion and even won an award for outstanding leadership,” Elizabeth Barron said. “I came a long way from the first night I spent there, shaking and crying, to feeling such pride in the opportunity to offer every piece of myself to the greatest country in the world!”
With Elizabeth Barron and Bryce Barron joining the Army, another veteran, Terry Whitmer, joined the Navy. Whitmer enlisted in the Navy in 1980 and served for 4 years. Whitmer traveled on the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-61). The USS Ranger (CV-61) was a Forrestal-class supercarrier, the first class of aircraft carriers built for the U.S. Navy in the 1950s.
“We were on what they called a west pack deployment. We were usually gone for six months,” Whitmer said. “One year, we were at sea for almost 200 days straight. We didn’t see land or another ship the whole time.”
While on the ship, Whitmer worked on the catapult and arresting gear.
“We launched and received aircraft at sea,” Whitmer said. “One of my jobs was when a jet was getting ready to launch, I would run underneath it and hook it to the catapult.”
The catapult is used to launch aircraft that are on the ship. This allows the aircraft to launch with more speed than it would have on the ground. To prepare the aircraft for takeoff, the ship would have arresting cables, which would be attached to an eight-foot bar. These types of cables are made to stop each aircraft that comes in at the same place on the deck, no matter the size or weight.
With Elizabeth Barron and Bryce Barron wanting to extend their passions or help out their family members, Whitmer had something else in mind as well.
“I wanted to work in construction, but at the time work was slow,” Whitmer said. “After that, I talked with a recruiter and joined the Navy.”
With each state celebrating Veterans Day, here at LCSC, each school celebrates Veterans Day similarly. Each school will have a program where veterans from different branches will gather and be honored by the students and faculty of the school. Some schools have a guest speaker, others might have someone singing the national anthem. With schools that have a choir or band, such as Logansport Junior High School and Logansport High School, those individuals will play or sing a set of songs chosen by their teachers.
