By William Shaw

At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the guns finally fell silent across France.

Peace broke out that day, and soon Johnny came marching home, back to the U.S.

For many years, Nov. 11 was recognized as Armistice Day, a day we gave recognition and thanks to our veterans of the Great War.

A second World War, a U.N. “police action” in Korea and 35 years later, the Nov. 11 observance was renamed as Veterans Day. Since then, we, as a grateful nation, honor and give thanks to every veteran that served at home or abroad — be it in France, the Pacific, the cold hills of Korea or a military base stateside.

On Nov. 11, we give thanks to the veterans that fought in the sand and deserts of Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.

On every other day, I hope we give thanks to the active uniformed servicemen and women who are serving in harm’s way.  No matter how complex the mission, how difficult the task or terrain, our uniformed service members and military families have continually answered our nation’s call.

But we as a nation have let a group of veterans down. From the early 1950s to the mid-1960s, we were fighting a very real Cold War. Back then, the Domino Theory was fact. From the White House and Pentagon down to our family dinner tables, it shaped our foreign policy and our national opinion. All of America felt that we were the bulwark of freedom, and that the U.S. must take a stand against communism.

And in 1965 we did — in Vietnam. Fifty years after the beginning and 40 years after the end of that war, many Americans fail to go beyond lingering disagreement of the policies that led to that war and the complex issues that escalated and ended it. Back then, many of us never really properly thanked and welcomed home the thousands of men and women who answered our nation’s call and put their boots on the ground and their lives on the line in the humid jungles, rivers and fire bases of that divided country.

Today, most of us have family members, friends or acquaintances who served in Vietnam. It is never too late for us to undo the disservice done to many veterans who returned home and were disdained or ignored 40 years ago.  Now is the time to thank a Vietnam veteran for their service.  Now is the time to listen to their story.

— William Shaw is publisher of the Bellevue Reporter, Mercer Island Reporter, the Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter and the Snoqualmie Valley Record. wshaw@soundpublishing.com.