Since 1954, on the 11th day of the month we have honored all veterans, due to the first Veterans Day Proclamation issued by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on Oct. 8 of that year. The national holiday was originally designated Armistice Day, because the peace treaty ending World War I was signed at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year in 1918.

The so-called “war to end all wars” failed to do so, however. In fact, the peace treaty sowed the seeds of the next world war, according to many historians. Members of “the greatest generation,” including my father, whose combat duty was in the Philippines, thought that the second world war might achieve what the previous one did not. History dashed their hope, however, as wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan have painfully demonstrated.

The number of American service men and women killed or wounded in all the wars previously mentioned is difficult to believe and all of us have been affected by the casualties. America has fought not only to defend its own freedom but the freedom of other people around the world throughout the 20th century and the 21st century so far. Let us remember and be thankful for the sacrifices of all veterans not only on the 11th day of November but throughout the year.

Americans can also be thankful this month for our National Day of Thanksgiving, which was proclaimed as far back as 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, by President Abraham Lincoln. In December of 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a joint resolution of Congress, changing the date of the holiday to the fourth Thursday in November.

One of the first celebrations of Thanksgiving dates back as far as 1621, when the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Native Americans shared an autumn feast, setting a good example for Americans of all races. Days of Thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states for more than two centuries thereafter.

When we celebrate Thanksgiving in 2021, let us remember first how much better off most of us are than we were a year ago. We have a vaccine against Covid which enables us to gather more safely with family and friends. Many of our institutions, venues and events are open to the public again. Thus, whether we share a meal with family and friends or spend part of this day at a local soup kitchen with those people less fortunate, we would do well to pause on this fourth Thursday of November in 2021 to show our appreciation and to give back. Paraphrasing the Bible, President John F. Kennedy said, “For of those to whom much is given, much is required.”

Americans’ patience, endurance and compassion have been severely tested in the last year and a half. Countless citizens in this state and across the country have demonstrated these qualities to serve others on every day of every month. We can honor them and be grateful for their efforts this Thanksgiving.

Jim Izzo is a retired teacher living in Mystic.