Ask anyone under forty, maybe fifty, especially someone who didn’t serve in the military, to name the two most important days of the year relating to our armed forces, and they might, might, be able to tell you.

Ask them to be a bit specific about Memorial Day and Veterans Day. You know, the origin, and, well, you probably won’t get much of an answer.

Ask these same people if they attend — or have ever attended — one or both of these observances, which are held annually, and you probably won’t have many who respond in the affirmative.

That, friends, is simply the way of it. Don’t know much of anything about these holidays; don’t attend the observances. The American Way, it seems.

Regarding Veterans Day, President John F. Kennedy said, in 1961, “In a world tormented by tension and the possibilities of conflict, we meet in quiet commemoration of a historic day of peace. In an age that threatens the survival of freedom, we join together to honor those who made our freedom possible.”

The guns fell silent on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. In 1918.

Originally called Armistice Day, now known as Veterans Day, to honor all who ever served.

Decoration Day. When flowers were placed on the graves of those Civil (what a misnomer for a war) War participants who paid the ultimate price. Now known as Memorial Day, to honor all who died in the service of their country.

We must not glorify or romanticize war. Any war. Those who know, who knew, war first hand would tell us this. A Hollywood-made John Wayne movie war isn’t.

Yet, we must not forget those who went off to all of our terrible wars. We must not forget those who didn’t come home. We must not forget those who served in times of peace, often uneasy peace.

We must not forget.

Two days. Just two days out of 365.

Where will you be on November 11?

APROPOS — “Do we not know? Do we not remember? Do we not care? I fear the answer.”

— A veteran