This Veterans Day let us take a moment to remember the sacrifices made by those who answered the call to protect the freedom of our nation. Thank you to all veterans in the United States armed forces who have served America with honor!
Since the Revolutionary War more than 41 million Americans have served in our Nation’s military. The first Veterans were part of the Continental Army created in 1775 when colonial militias formed a common army under command of George Washington. Since then, the United States has declared war 11 times and fought in conflicts around the world.
We owe our Veterans and active service personnel a debt of gratitude. Through their sacrifices, they have safeguarded the ideals of our founding fathers, saved our nation, protected the innocent and liberated the oppressed. Each year on Veterans Day, we pay tribute to the generations of courageous men and women who served in the military.
Veterans can teach us a great deal about purpose, leadership, work ethic, and community. Their stories are inspiring and shouldn’t be relegated to a single day in November. Many of those stories have been captured through the Illinois Veteran’s Project where you can read about the Illinois men and women who served in the armed services. The Illinois State Library launched the project to create a permanent record of the names and stories of Illinois war Veterans and civilians who served our state and country during war, so that their contributions will not be forgotten.
Six current House Republican legislators have served in the U.S. Military and bring that experience to their roles in the Illinois General Assembly.
Rep. Wayne Rosenthal served in the Illinois Air National Guard/United States Air Force. He was direct commissioned in 1971 and served our country for 30 years until he retired in 2001. He completed flight training as a distinguished graduate and received the Husik Memorial Trophy for the #1 aviator in the class and is currently a retired Brigadier General.