They walk among us mostly unseen, often unappreciated, while their commitments and sacrifices can’t be overstated. They are the veterans – those who have done more than just enjoy the benefits of a free society; they are the ones who have stood and paid the price for liberty.

Today, November 11, is Veterans Day. It’s appropriate any day that we reflect on what we owe our veterans but more so today. Of course, this date wasn’t randomly chosen, though there certainly are other dates in American history that could serve as Veterans Day, such as:

• Oct. 19: on this date in 1781, British Gen. Charles Cornwallis surrendered to Gen. George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia. Though the American Revolution continued until Jan. 14, 1784, most historians acknowledge that the British defeat at Yorktown ensured an American victory.
• Sept. 14: On this date in 1814, Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer and amateur poet, was aboard a British truce ship in the Patapsco River watching British warships batter Fort McHenry. The determination of the Americans in the fort inspired the British to abandon their effort to take Baltimore and to retire, and inspired Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner.
• April 9: On this date in 1865, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse ending the Civil War, the most costly war in American history.
• Sept. 2: On this date in 1945, the Japanese formally surrendered on the deck of U.S. Navy battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay thereby bringing WWII to an end. 

Nov. 11, however, was chosen because the date was already chosen to honor our veterans, originally veterans of WWI. In 1954, following WWII and the Korean War, veterans petitioned Congress to change the name.

As Armistice Day, Nov. 11, made sense because it was the day that WWI ended. At 11 minutes after 11 a.m., on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, hostilities ended. More than 100,000 Americans paid the ultimate sacrifice in that war. More than 400,000 paid that price in WWII, more than 36,000 in Korea and 58,000 in Vietnam. Post 911 fighting has cost the lives of nearly 7,000 Americans.

When an American soldier, sailor or aviator pays the ultimate sacrifice, they are denied the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of their efforts. But, even those who return from war, whether physically injured, or carrying deeper psychological scares, have paid a price few other Americans have come close to paying. That’s why every day should be Veterans Day – there’s not a day that goes by that we Americans don’t enjoy the benefits of their sacrifices.