Veterans Day
November 11th, 1918: The “Great War”—World War I ended when the Armistice was signed between the warring nations. On May 13th, 1938, Congress created the holiday of Armistice Day. Honoring the Veterans of World War II and the Korean War, on June 1st, 1954, Congress altered the phrasing of the Armistice in favor of Veterans. September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford moved Veterans Day back to its original date of November 11th, as it had been for years, celebrated on October 25th. Per the Department of Veterans Affairs, “Veterans Day does not include an apostrophe but does include an “s” at the end of “veterans” because it is not a day that ‘belongs’ to veterans, it is a day for honoring all veterans.”
Tobacco and the military have a long and illustrious intertwined history. Tobacco was rationed out, barged over, and used to improve the morale of forward-deployed troops. Today, military personnel can find big brands of Cigars, cigarettes, and dips in their exchanges in the United States and when deployed overseas. I remember when I was deployed to Romania after Russia’s Annexation of Crimea, the exchange had individual “self-humidified” cigars for purchase. I easily smoked hundreds of these. Something I enjoyed in the States became the base of my tranquility when deployed.
My fondest memories of my time in the United States Marine Corps were smoking cigars with my brothers overseas and back home. We were lucky to have access to cigars and even more fortunate to have family members and wives willing to ship us large quantities of cigars to our FPOs. We were not alone in this regard, as I have seen many posts online and heard stories of troops smoking cigars to pass the time and build camaraderie across our military’s history. I have had the luxury to smoke cigars in many climbs and places.
I enjoy meeting other veterans in cigar lounges and shops I visit. Sharing cigars, trading stories, and sharing experiences of life’s moments we can relate to makes it more than a hobby but a way of life. Smoking cigars with veterans like my older brother, friends, and strangers I meet brings me an immense amount of gratitude. We have many veterans in our nation. Many of which are struggling. This Veterans Day, we ask you to reach out to family, friends, and strangers and thank them for their service. Donate to organizations like Cigars for Warriors. Smoke a cigar, converse, and learn about our warriors and their sacrifice and history. To the veterans reading this, comment with your unit and where and when you served. Thank you for your service and support, Semper Fidelis – Always Faithful.
Steven Ramos