Veterans Day Message from the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office

Veteran’s Day was established just after the first World War as Armistice Day, originally conceived to celebrate the end of that long and brutal conflict which claimed the lives of over a hundred and fifteen thousand American soldiers and millions of our European allies. 

Over the decades, this holiday has been expanded to include all veterans. It has become a day for Americans to reflect on the sacrifices that our service members make when they give their lives over to something bigger than themselves. Our service members routinely set aside their personal lives and endure hardships; they miss holidays, birthdays, graduations, hot-meals, showers, and many of things that we take for granted on a daily basis in service of their country. Today, almost three million service members across the six branches of our military stand ready to answer the call of their nation. They make these sacrifices with pride and honor, because the American people are counting on them to get the job done. 

More often than not, our veterans humbly prefer a quiet life after they transition back to civilians, asking not for praise and reward or medals, but simply that we honor their sacrifices by upholding the values that they fight and sometimes give their lives for. Today, we say thank you for all that you have done, all that you continue to do, and that we will continue to strive to live in a way that brings honor and meaning to the things that you have sacrificed in our name. 

Sheriff Jason Smith, a 22-year Marine Corps Officer who served his country with distinction, paid visit to schools across the Parish, the Our Veterans Memorial monument in Sheridan, and was the guest of honor at the 249th Marine Corps Birthday celebration at the Fernwood Country Club in Fernwood, MS.