Veterans’ Day was originally called Armistice Day. This day was set aside to reflect and remember the sacrifices men and women made during World War I in order to ensure peace. This truce was signed on November 11th, 1918 at 11 A.M. after 5 years of fighting.

The first official celebration was on November 11th, 1919. In other countries it is known as Remembrance Day. It was not until after the Korean War in 1953 that President Eisenhower signed the bill that officially changed the name to Veterans’ Day. But even today, a moment of silence is observed at 11am to mark the truce that ended WWI.

To honor the veterans, I want to share with you an interesting story passed via the military side of the house…

Here’s an interesting story of Naval Aviation. “Point of interest… about 3 minutes 20 seconds into the clip, you will see an F6F Hellcat, it’s hydraulics shot away during a strafing run, pancake on the carrier deck and slew into the island.

A deckhand was crushed between the aircraft and the superstructure and killed. The number on the plane is 30.The lanky pilot sitting dazed in the cockpit is a gentleman named Andy Cowan. He is hale and hearty at 87 and lives just north of Salinas , Ca.

To this day he cannot recall this accident without a tear coming to his eye. Andy is a marvel. He has absolute total recall of those bygone days.He is regularly invited back to the Naval War College to give a powerpoint demonstration to the young fighter jocks of today’s Navy. They hang on his every word.

A living link to the past… to the days when you got up close and personal to kill the enemy.No over-the-horizon missile kills…

Andy was the longest serving Navy fighter pilot in WWII. He was on his shakedown cruise off Gitmo on December 7th, 1941. The carrier Ranger made flank speed to Norfolk and the pilots were transshipped to San Francisco by train, then sped to Hawaii by ship.

He saw Pearl not long after the sneak attack, and again is unable to speak of it… a horrible disaster. He immediately went aboard the Lexington and in the course of the war had 4 carriers shot out from under him as he fought in every major Pacific battle… Coral Sea , Midway, Battle of Santa Cruz, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima … you name it. Credited with 4.5 kills, he flew with Butch O’Hare, Cmdr Thatch (inventor of the ‘Thatch Weave’), flew with high scoring ace David McCampbell… served under Admirals Nimitz, Bull Halsey…

He has studied the Japanese side of the Pacific War and is a recognized expert on their side of it. He can reel off the names of all their capital ships and admirals and battles from memory.Remarkable man… and still alive to tell the tale…”

And you’ve never heard of him…

Go here and see the video of carrier ops, and thank a Veteran for their service!