As Americans and especially as a military family, today we celebrate Veterans Day. We honor the men and women who have committed their lives for the ideals of our country: freedom, justice, hope.
Until this year, I never made the connection that Veterans Day also falls on the feast of St. Martin of Tours, the patron saint of soldiers. St. Martin is huge in Germany for reasons I haven't figured out yet. But tonight we will gather in the town square, where children will hold up paper lanterns they made in school and we will process singing songs about this man who lived more than 1500 years ago. At the end of the procession, a local man dressed as St. Martin will come and tell the community the story of the soldier turned bishop.
Martin was an officer in the Roman army. The most famous anecdote begins on a cold winter night in France. St. Martin saw a beggar shivering in the elements on the side of the road. He stopped his horse and cut his cloak in two, giving half of it to the man. He likely would have given all of it, but half belonged to Rome. That night Martin had a dream that Jesus was wearing the cloak.
St. Martin is everything a military officer should be. He is a humble servant of his greatest ideals. He encourages and serves those in lower rank. One story says Martin would regularly clean the boots of the servant assigned to him. He fights and speaks out on behalf of those most vulnerable.
I have had the privilege of knowing many such officers in our Air Force, and am proud to count my husband among them. So today, I pray through the intercession of St. Martin for all of our men and women in uniform that they remember their oath to serve our country and always those in most need.
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