Veterans Day: Honoring Kansans' Service and Sacrifice

The following is a column by Governor Kathleen Sebelius:

From the very founding of our state, service to country has been a core value for Kansans. In fact, it was a Kansas veteran, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who issued the first Veterans Day proclamation. President Eisenhower called for a joining of hands in the common purpose of honoring the service of our veterans.

“Let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us re-consecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain,” said President Eisenhower.

On November 11th, it is our privilege to honor the 247,000 living veterans in Kansas dedicated to the cause of freedom here and across the globe. We set aside this day to memorialize the sacrifices made by generations of Americans to keep our great nation free, but not a single day should go by that we do not reflect on the freedoms we enjoy because of the sacrifices made by the men and women of the armed forces.

As a daughter of a World War II veteran, I feel immense pride for my father’s service and sacrifice. As commander in chief of the Kansas National Guard I see that service and sacrifice in action each time our citizen soldiers are called into action.

I feel profound gratitude for the extraordinary men and women who place themselves in harms way to defend our freedom. I ask all Kansans to join me on Veterans Day in recognizing and honoring the veterans who have fought for our country.  We join the nation in paying tribute to our veterans for their undying commitment to freedom and peace.

On Veterans Day, we honor extraordinary Americans for their service and sacrifice to our country to protect the freedoms we cherish. We honor our veterans in our words, thoughts and prayers, but I’m proud to say that Kansas has also been honoring them through our actions.

Upon leaving active military service, veterans have a wide variety of resources available to them from both the federal and state governments.

Federal programs are administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, www.va.gov.

State programs are administered by the Kansas Commission on Veterans’ Affairs, www.kcva.org. For assistance in applying for benefits, veterans should call 785.296.3976.

And for my fellow Kansans, join me in flying your flags high this November 11th.

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