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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | NOVEMBER 2023 39 FS Veterans Park November is a special month for veterans. While every month is a time to honor our veterans, November stands out as special not only for our families but for us as well. Separation goes with the job for military service and sometimes it is very lengthy with missed family events. But the pain of this absence from the home front is more acute during this holiday traditionally celebrated at family dinners. For military families, a Thanksgiving dinner in the mess hall is an opportunity to meet others in a similar situation. If we are stationed overseas or at sea, the dinners are always banquets with the cooks outdoing themselves with great cuisine. For a lucky few, entertainers from the home front may mingle and take letters and wishes back to our families. Marines celebrate their birthday on the 8th as only they can do with salutes and toasts to their storied history. Other service members want to be a Marine — at least for that one day. Across our wonderful country, in communities large and small, parades are the order of the day. Floats, old vehicles, and marching veterans pass children and old-timers waving flags and saluting. It somehow makes all the sacrifice worthwhile. On Nov. 11, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson issued a message to his countrymen on the first Armistice Day, in which he expressed what he felt the day meant to Americans. In 1945, World War II veteran Raymond Weeks had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all Veterans, not just those who died in World War I. Congress amended the bill on June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans," and it has been known as Veterans Day since. While the holiday is commonly printed as Veteran's Day or Veterans' Day in calendars and advertisements, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs website states that the attributive (no apostrophe) rather than the possessive case is the official spelling "because it is not a day that 'belongs' to veterans, it is a day for honoring all veterans." ~ Len Tavernetti, ltavernetti@hotmail.com Community Garden Club Join us on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 10 am in the RCN for our next free speaker event: Gardening and Critical Benefits to your Well-Being and Health. The physical benefits have been well documented, but researchers are spotlighting the ways that gardening supports our mental well-being. These benefits are of value to all of us as we age, whether we physically work in our gardens, or just enjoy our natural surroundings. In addition, we will discuss what to do in the garden during the winter months for our area. In the meantime, enjoy the holidays! For questions, contact pwayne1@outlook.com. ~ Pat Wayne