President's Day Message - 2020
Dear Colleagues,
Today, Feb. 17, 2019, we celebrate Presidents Day. The holiday originally was established in 1885 as a way to recognize President George Washington. However, in 1971, the holiday was changed to Presidents Day. While several states continue to honor the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other presidential figures, Presidents Day usually is viewed as a day to celebrate all United States presidents, past and present.
The shift from celebrating Washington’s birthday to honoring all presidents began in the late 1960s. At that time, Congress proposed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The purpose of the law was to shift the celebration of several federal holidays from specific dates to a series of predetermined Mondays. These holidays were designed to give federal workers extended time off in the form of three-day holidays.
However, for us, Presidents Day also is a time to honor and remember the service of our country’s Veterans. Twenty-six of our 44 presidents served in the U.S. military. Their ranks ranged from private to general – though most received promotions during their service. Only six were considered professional military. Therefore, most of our Veteran presidents were citizen soldiers, sailors and airmen. Like so many before and after, they interrupted their civilian lives to serve their country.
Additionally, sixteen of our former Presidents were involved in direct combat as part of their military service. The list includes George Washington, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, William Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce,Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry S Truman, John Kennedy, Gerald Ford, and George H. Bush. Eisenhower, as a high-level commander, was involved in general combat operations during World War II.
At least six also were injured during their time of service. Examples include: President Hayes, who fought in approximately 50 engagements during the Civil War and was wounded multiple times; President Kennedy, who was injured when a Japanese destroyer collided with the patrol torpedo boat he commanded; and President G.H. Bush, who was injured when he bailed out of a plane shot down near the island of Chichijima by Japanese forces.
Like those presidents who chose to serve in the military, approximately 30 percent of your colleagues here at Kansas City VA also answered the call to duty. Likewise, many of you who may not have served, still know the sacrifices made through military service as family and friends of our nation’s heroes.
Today, I hope you all enjoy well deserved time off. However, we should never pass an opportunity to thank those we are honored to care for.
DAVID ISAACKS, FACHE