U.S. Veterans Day Festivities Fail to Match Allied Tributes on ‘Great War’ Centennial

Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) December 24, 2014 – In a year of major news for veterans, a much-hyped concert draws a smaller-than-expected crowd.

With 2014 marking 100 years since the start of World War I, Veterans Day, the anniversary of the end of the war in 1918, was marked by well-attended and poignant commemorations in Canada as well as in many of the European countries that bore the brunt of the “Great War.” In the United States, though, a star-studded tribute on Washington’s National Mall drew a disappointingly smaller-than-expected crowd.

In Britain, a commemorative installation of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London titled “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red,” was scheduled to close by the end of November 11. However, due to the popularity of the piece, the display remained on view until the end of the month. In France, a new monument in honor of the war, the Ring of Remembrance, was unveiled at the Notre-Dame-de-Lorette military cemetery near Arras, and French President Francois Hollande gave a speech at its debut.

Canadians marked the occasion, known there as Remembrance Day, with larger than expected crowds turning out at the National War Memorial. This comes just three weeks after the fatal shooting of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, which occurred at the location.

In the United States, a highly touted inaugural event at the National Mall called the “Concert for Valor” failed to draw the 800,000 spectators that many were expecting, with only 100,000 attendees. The lacking audience occurred in spite of billed performers such as Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl and the Zac Brown Band, Jessie J, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood and the Singing Sergeants, who are the official chorus of the U.S. Air Force.

“While the attendees at the Concert for Valor may have been enthusiastic and boisterous, the scale of commemorations in the United States this year does not seem to be commensurate with the significance of the occasion,” said David W. Magann, a prominent attorney in Tampa, Fla., specializing in legal services for veterans. “More than 100,000 members of the U.S. military died in World War I and more than 200,000 more were wounded, and the American toll from conflicts subsequent to the so-called War to End All Wars has been mounting ever since.”

Veterans Day this year came in the wake of the healthcare services scandal at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which led to the director’s resignation. The holiday also followed significant increase in U.S. military involvement in the Middle East characterized by a stepped-up presence in Iraq and airstrikes in Syria, as well as the worst midterm election voter turnout in 72 years.

“News that many veterans were left waiting unacceptably long times for healthcare through the VA, and renewed and possibly greater U.S. military involvement in the Middle East due to the menace from the Islamic State should be additional cause for treating our veterans with the respect and honors they deserve,” Magann said. “And it is a shame that Americans are now participating in such low numbers in one of the freedoms that our veterans have given their lives for so that they can exercise that right and the other rights we enjoy.”

Learn more at http://www.tampaveteranslawyer.com/ David W. Magann, P.A. Main Office: 156 West Robertson Street Brandon, FL 33511 Call: (813) 657-9175 Tampa Office: 18715 N Dale Mabry Hwy Lutz, FL 33548