Not all heroes wear capes

On Saturday night, I was watching another episode of Fox News' "Watters' World" when the host, Jesse Watters, asked people on the street what holiday fell on Nov. 11. Many didn’t know and gave guesses such as “Black Friday” and “Easter"! Even when he informed them that Monday was Veterans Day, many still didn't even know what that special day commemorated. So sad!

In our increasingly progressive society where critics want to remove Veterans Day from calendars and only 55% of Americans even understand what Memorial Day represents, my wife, Gena, and I look for any opportunity to thank the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces, who often risk their lives to protect us and our freedoms. We honor all those who have served in the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, National Guard and Coast Guard.

This year, Veterans Day is celebrating its 100th anniversary. It was formerly known as Armistice Day, which was started by President Woodrow Wilson on Nov. 11, 1919, to commemorate World War I soldiers. It marked one year to the day in 1918 when a cease-fire and mutual truce (armistice) was made between the Allied Nations and Germany. It led to the end of the four-year, three-month "Great War." Armistice Day became a federal holiday in the United States in 1938, then was renamed as Veterans Day in 1954 by President Dwight Eisenhower as a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

On Aug. 4, 2001, the U.S. Senate passed Resolution 143, which designated the week of Nov. 11 through Nov. 17, 2001, as "National Veterans Awareness Week." The resolution called for "educational efforts directed at elementary and secondary school students concerning the contributions and sacrifices of veterans."

That’s still needed, but you don’t have to wait for teachers to educate your children and grandchildren. Use this week to inform your own loved ones about the origin and facts of Veterans Day. You might start with the U.S. Dept. of Defenses" “5 Facts to Know about Veterans Day.”

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And don’t forget to remind others how proud you are of the veterans in your own family. My father fought in World War II at the Battle of the Bulge. I served four years in the U.S. Air Force in South Korea, and my brother Aaron served in the U.S. Army there, too, on the DMZ. But it was our brother Wieland, a U.S. Army soldier, who made the greatest sacrifice. He was killed in action in Vietnam when he walked point alone and drew out enemy fire so that others in his platoon could fight their way out to freedom. I dedicated my Missing in Action movies to Wieland — he was in the hearts and minds of Aaron and me the whole time we filmed those movies. (My 98-year-old mother, Wilma Norris-Knight, wrote a chapter on each of the Norris men, and for the first time shares Wieland's war story at length in her autobiography, “Acts of Kindness: My Story,", which is available on Amazon.)

On Veterans Day, I also love to share about other incredible U.S. military patriots, like those honored this past Wednesday on the Fox Nation Patriot Awards held in St. Petersburg, Florida. The primary purpose of the event was to thank our country's best and bravest, including one of the Tampa Bay area's own police officers.

Marine Vet Sgt. Rob Jones was the recipient of the 2019 “Most Valuable Veteran” award. Though he lost both legs in the Iraq war, he has inspired countless others by his perseverance and fight to keep on keepin’ on despite his disabilities. Proof that Sgt. Jones is an overcomer and not handicapped in any traditional sense came when he ran with his prosthetic legs 31 marathons in 31 days in 31 different cities. Is that amazing or what?!

Sgt. Jones is now running as a candidate for U.S. congress in Virginia’s 10th congressional district. We encourage Virginians to vote and fight for Jones to be there U.S. representative to congress.

The 2019 “Ultimate Patriot” award went to Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, who served three tours in Iraq. He is also the founder and CEO of Owasso-based Folds of Honor, which provides educational scholarships to spouses and children of fallen and disabled service members. This year has been the nonprofit’s biggest year of growth yet, providing $22 million in scholarships to 4,500 veteran families across the country. (All the proceeds from the sold-out Patriot Awards were donated to the Folds of Honor Foundation.)

I’m so glad the Patriot Awards didn’t leave out our men and women in blue. Tampa Police Lieutenant Travis Maus earned the “First Responders Award.” His wife and three daughters accepted it on his behalf, along with Tampa Police Department Chief Brian Dugan, because Maus is also a U.S. Army pilot and was on a one-year deployment in Iraq.

The award-winning veterans, like the rest of our brave servicemen and women, are all proof that not all heroes wear capes. We are honored to join millions upon millions of Americans this day and week in saluting and giving thanks for them and all the rest of the U.S. veterans

And we can’t highlight the 100th anniversary of Veterans Day without commemorating another colossal military anniversary: the 30th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall this past weekend. We give continued kudos to our friends in Heaven: the great commander-in-chief former President Ronald Reagan and decorated-war veteran and then Vice President George H.W. Bush for all they contributed in uniting East and West by dropping and demolishing that barbaric communist barrier on Nov. 9, 1989.

Gena and I love that Veterans Day falls during the same month that we celebrate Thanksgiving. Because outside of God and our parents, who deserves greater thanks than those who have fought for our freedoms?

When it comes to our courageous military men and women who have served past and present, James Allen was absolutely right: "No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks."