By the Rev. Mark Boorsma, Ascension Lutheran Church of Albert Lea

Most readers know this day as Veterans Day, some remember that it was Armistice Day until 1954, and some know this date as Martinmas. My grandfather, born Cornelis de Geus in the Netherlands, became a United States veteran by a series of wild coincidences. Although he had served briefly in the Dutch army, Opa decided to make his temporary medical leave permanent by signing on as an employee of a ship sailing from Rotterdam to Panama. That’s called AWOL – absent without leave – and is a criminal offense. Thus he found it convenient to use an alias in order to evade prosecution; he chose to use his grandmother’s surname instead of his own. All his descendants still wear this alias – Boorsma.

In 1917 the ship on which Opa was employed was impounded in the New York harbor, and he found himself among a large number of unwilling conscripts inducted into the American armed forces. They received their basic training in a kind of United Nations of boot camp, Camp Upton on Long Island. My grandfather was very reluctant to accept this turn of events, because his conscription in this foreign army meant the constitutional loss of his Dutch citizenship. Although he grew to appreciate his new life in North America, it was an awkward way to begin.

As a World War I veteran, my grandfather knew well the meaning of 11-11-1918. But he grew up in a world that knew this date as Martinmas – Saint Martin’s Day. Martin of Tours was born in the year 316 and died in 397. The best-known story of this Roman soldier is the generous act of sharing his cloak. Meeting a nearly-naked beggar, Martin cut his own military cloak in half and gave half of it to the beggar for warmth. Later, in an echo of Matthew 25:36, Martin dreamed that Jesus himself wore the half-cloak and gave Martin credit, “for he clothed me.”

If you take the time to ask, and to listen, you might discover that every soldier – every veteran – has fascinating stories to tell. Some are tales of reluctance and regret; some are stories of valor and generosity. Today, give the gift of your interest, your questions, and your attentive listening to stories that shape us all.