Service, Citizenship, And Veterans Day

The quiet that fell on November 11, 1918 did more than end a war—it sparked a living promise we renew every time we show up for one another. We start with the origin of Armistice Day and trace how America reshaped it into Veterans Day, a commitment that honors every veteran’s service while challenging the rest of us to carry freedom forward through daily civic action.

I sit down with Representative Stacy Travers, a U.S. Army veteran and Arizona lawmaker, to unpack how the mission-first mindset translates from the field to the floor. Stacy shares how discipline, humility, and teamwork guide her approach to policy, and why results for constituents matter more than party labels. We explore the ripple effects of service organizations, the transformative power of the GI Bill, and how the integration of the armed forces helped accelerate civil rights—clear examples of how military service has shaped American democracy beyond the battlefield.

Together we dig into what freedom really means in practice: the right to vote, to learn, to work, to be safe, and to pursue happiness. Stacy reflects on seeing Germany before and after the wall fell, a reminder that political choices write themselves into daily life. We talk about listening across differences, keeping faith with a “seven generations” lens, and turning gratitude into action—whether that’s mentoring, volunteering, supporting veteran-led groups, or simply taking time to learn a veteran’s story.

If this conversation moves you, subscribe, share the episode with someone you care about, and leave a review. Then tell us: what’s one concrete way you’ll serve your community this week?

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Chapters

• 1:32 Opening And Veterans Day Focus
• 2:07 Armistice Day Origins And Meaning
• 3:53 Expanding To Honor All Veterans
• 5:12 Restoring November 11 Significance
• 5:49 Service, Citizenship, And Civic Impact
• 7:52 Call To Engage Beyond Gratitude
• 8:05 Introducing Rep. Stacy Travers
• 8:20 Military Lessons In Legislating
• 10:06 What Veterans Day Means To Veterans
• 13:10 Service Organizations’ Ripple Effects
• 15:30 Freedom, Rights, And Civic Duty
• 19:07 Seven Generations And Public Service
• 22:07 Mission Before Self In Leadership

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:46

Welcome to Civics in a Year, where we explore the ideas, people, and moments that shape American democracy. I'm Liz Evans. Today we pause to honor Veterans Day, a day set aside each year to recognize the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. It's a day of gratitude and reflection and civic awareness, a reminder that the freedoms we enjoy depend on both sacrifice and participation. Veterans Day has deep roots in world history and in the evolution of America's own civic identity. It began with the end of World War I, a conflict so devastating at the time that it was called the war to end all wars. On November 11, 1918, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the guns fell silent. The armistice between the Allies and Germany went into effect, and the world exhaled. One year later, in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th as Armistice Day. He described it as a day to be filled with solemn pride and the heroism of those who died in the country's service and gratitude for the victory that had brought peace. At first, Armistice Day was primarily a day of remembrance to honor those who fought and died in World War I. But as history unfolded, so did the meaning of the day. In the decades that followed, the United States entered new conflicts: World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, and beyond. By the early 1950s, millions more Americans had served. And many citizens began to ask whether one day of remembrance should honor all veterans, not just those from World War I. A Kansas shoe store owner named Alvin King played a key role in that change. King was a World War II veteran who believed Armistice Day should honor every American who served, in peace or in war. He organized local celebrations and reached out to Kansas Congressman Ed Reese, who introduced a bill in Congress to make it official. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, himself a five-star general who led Allied forces in World War II, signed the bill into law. Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day, broadening its scope to recognize all veterans, living and deceased, from every branch of the service. That change reflected something powerful. America's growing understanding that military service in all of its forms is central to the nation's civic story. In the years that follow, there were even some calendar changes. In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Holiday Bill, moving several federal holidays, including Veterans Day, to create long weekends. For a few years, Veterans Day was observed in October, but many Americans objected, feeling that November 11th carries a special meeting, the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I. So, in 1975, President Gerald Ford signed a law restoring the date to November 11th, where it remains today. So, what does all of this mean beyond dates and proclamations? Veterans Day is not just a day off. It's a day to think about the relationship between service and citizenship. In a constitutional democracy, military service is unique. It represents a commitment to defend a system built on individual liberty and civic responsibility. But the service did not end with a uniform. Many veterans return home and continue to serve as teachers, first responders, public officials, community volunteers. Veterans have also shaped American democracy in profound ways. The GI Bill, passed in 1944, helped millions of returning World War II veterans attend college, buy homes, and start businesses, transforming the American middle class. The integration of the armed forces in 1948 set a precedent for the broader civil rights movement, showing that equality and unity could strengthen, not weaken, the nation. And throughout history, veterans have been leaders in civic reform, advocating for voting rights, health care, education, and justice. When we honor veterans, we are also honoring a civic ideal. The idea that service to others, whether it's in military or in daily life, sustains constitutional democracy. Because constitutional democracy isn't self-sustaining. It depends on citizens who show up, who participate, and who care. That's why Veterans Day should inspire all of us to ask: how do we serve? Maybe it's volunteering, mentoring, or voting. Maybe it's simply taking time to listen, to understand the experiences of those who've served and what they've given up so we can live freely. So today, let's mark Veterans Day. And let's do more than just remember. Let's engage. Let's think of veteran, learn their story, and reflect on what their service means for our shared civic life. Let's carry that spirit forward in our schools, our communities, and in our daily actions. To all of those who have served and to their families, thank you. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your leadership, and thank you for your example. You remind us that our constitutional democracy is not a right we inherit, it's a responsibility we uphold. I'm Liz Evans, and this has been Civics in a year. Thank you for listening, and happy Veterans Day. Happy Veterans Day, everyone. I am very excited to have Representative Stacy Travers with us today. Representative Travers is a veteran of the U.S. Army and a representative in Arizona. So, Representative Travers, thank you so much for being here today. You've served both in the military and in public office. How has your experience in uniform shaped your approach to your civic leadership today?

SPEAKER_01: 7:44

I think it's helped inform how I legislate because when I was in the military, you know, if you're on a mission or if you have a shared goal with your platoon or your squad or your company or whatever it may be, you don't really sit and take time to talk about political ideologies or religions or anything else really. You're just trying to get the mission accomplished. And I've brought that into how I legislate for my constituents. So while I may be a registered Democrat, that notwithstanding, it doesn't mean that I'm not very aware of all the people that I represent and that we're all working towards a common goal, which is making lives better for our communities and our families. Sometimes it might not be the same pathway, but that doesn't mean that I don't pay attention or don't take into account how other constituents might feel. As long as it doesn't compromise my values, then I think that we can all take this journey together. And hopefully I'm doing a good job. And if I'm not, then I get fired, and that's okay too. But having had that experience in the military with the discipline and the structure and the patriotism, the basically having been in the military shapes everything that I am as a legislator. And so I'm very thankful for that experience.

SPEAKER_00: 9:20

So, what does Veterans Day then mean to you personally when it comes around every year?

SPEAKER_01: 9:27

Well, I think the most important thing is the fact that those who have served are recognized. We have lots of different military holidays, right? We have Memorial Day for those who lost their lives in service. We have those who, you know, and veteran for Veterans Day, for we have those who served and who are still serving. It's really actually quite amazing to see the number of those who were in the military who are still in some form of public service, whether it's running for office or the incredible amount of support that has come from public service that has created veteran service organizations and everything that they do in the communities. And not just for veterans. I mean, you get the VFW, you get American Legion, you get Ambets, you get Wounded Warriors. Yes, they're helping members of the military, former members of the military, but that echoes like a pebble into the community, right? You throw a pebble into the water, and then the ripple effect means that everybody in the community gets impacted by this. And so it's I'm always very humbled when I go to a Veterans Day event or to a some kind of a, you know, a dinner or some kind of an event that thanks those who are currently in the military, those who have served, and those who have lost their lives. It's just a it's a very profound humbling that there's such a goodness in people. And that transcends political parties, believe it or not. You know, people are people are good and want to do good things. And it just, again, this stems from this stems from that micro system, that mic, micro community that we're all a part of. You know, there's a small number of us, and we know what it's like to be in this sort of other little society of military families, whether you're a spouse or whether you're a child, or whether you're a uh whether you have actually served, that very few people can understand. And so it's nice to see that it's recognized by folks who aren't in the military, that you know, you sign a contract, and when you sign that contract, you understand that you are potentially giving up your life and service for others to defend freedom and to defend our Western values. Um we see it, we see it everywhere. We see it in Chandler, we see it in N Tempe, we see it in Phoenix, those are the three cities that I represent. We also see it throughout all of Arizona. There is a recognition, and I just only wish that we had more resources and more money to do more for veterans here in the state. But Veterans Day is just a small way to recognize the service of those who have served in the military, and it's very um honorable.

SPEAKER_00: 12:24

What do you wish more Americans understood about the connection between military service and citizenship?

SPEAKER_01: 12:32

That when we talk about why we joined the military, right? We always speak about it in broad terms, and that's to defend your freedom. But I don't really think that we think about it in smaller, in smaller bits. So what does that mean to have that freedom, right? And I was in Germany recently, and I had been the last time I was there was before the wall fell down. And we had a we had a East Germany and a West Germany, and the freedom that West Germany had was so incredibly different to what we had in in East Germany at the time. And to be able to go back to see it now after the wall came down had such a profound impact on me for a couple of different reasons. Number one, to understand their history and to know that people there in that country understood the impact of what it was to actually have freedom. And by that I mean what does, you know, what does freedom mean for us? It means the right to vote, to hold public office, to have access to health care, to public education, uh, to own land, to be able to find a job, any job that you want is so profound that I see what's happening in the United States right now, and sometimes I fear for us. There's restrictions on who you can love and who you want to be, and what books you can read, and you know, who who gets to walk in bases and who and who is able to control that and what is the right way to do it. And I I just think this isn't this isn't what I signed up for when I joined the military. So I, you know, I became a public servant out of the military so that I could continue to represent my constituency or the at least my district of the people of Arizona, so they could have those freedoms and not just you know freedom in a broad way. It's so that they can they can be their happiest and live their best lives, right? We we have in the in the preamble the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And the only way that I could make sure that the generations ahead of us, and I'm doing a little bit of a word salad here, so for the folks listening, I thank you for your your patience. You know, there's a the the there's a a Native American concept of the things that you do should be considered in terms of how it's gonna impact the seven generations ahead of you. And so everything that I try to do tries to bear in mind how my kids are gonna be impacted, how their kids are gonna be impacted, how their kids after them are gonna be impacted. And to recognize that, you know, that it that is what freedom is. That is that is why we fight, and that is why we go around the world with you know with our values, so that people can have this right for their generations to come. And sometimes I I mean that it's just as simple as that. I mean, I I I love having this conversation with you, but it it could have, you know, I could have explained it in I'm taking 20 minutes or 30 minutes to explain what could have been in five. You know, it's like that's that's what it is. That's what what citizenship is. To be a good citizen is to be all working together towards a common good for everybody. And that is why I fought for your freedom. And so that's why I will continue to do that. And even when I'm no longer in public service, I hope that I will still be a value to the community working towards that greater good and allowing, you know, people the the freedom to be happy, to feel safe, to be secure, to feel part of a society that cares about them. And that the only way to do that is to is to take yourself out of it. Then again, that's what you learn in the military is that you're all working towards this greater good, and you need to put your personal opinions and your personal feelings aside so that you can so that you can accomplish the mission. And that's my mission. That's my mission for my kids, that's my mission for my for my friends' kids, for the the kids that I don't know, that I haven't met, for people I haven't, and I will always continue, I will always continue to do that. Rather it's advocating for a school that's going to be closed at a school board meeting, rather, that's standing up on the floor of the House of Representatives so that women can make their healthcare choices, so that people have a right to be safe. I don't always get it right. I'm very clunky with my language because I don't write pre-prepared speeches, as I think we might have heard on today's podcast, because it has to come from the heart. That's I mean, then that's all I know how to be, right? You know, when I joined the military, I was ready to give it my all, regardless. And here it's the same way. I can't be somebody I'm not. And you take me warts and all, but just know that I have a good heart and I'm doing it for everybody in the community. And I have been very blessed to have a great set of cities that I represent that have a great number of people there who are good people. And I'm again, I'm ward salading. I talk too much. I say I'm not a politician, but I talk like one. So grateful to be living in the United States. It's the best country in the world. We have so much more potential. I hope, I hope everybody can recognize that. And yeah, and thank you for everything that you're doing as well. You know, the fact that you are also connected to community and making sure that you represent and give a voice to everybody in this space. I think not everybody's gonna agree with what I have to say. And that's okay. I mean, we're we want different voices, we want descending voices because the only way that we can get smarter is if we listen to others. And again, my military service and the fact that there are those out there who have sacrificed for everything that I've just said is is important. It continues who we are as a society and what the values that we have. And I'm just grateful that those are out there recognizing it. And I'm so thankful for Veterans Day. And it's never, it's always about the people that have just been doing the amazing work, not just for their service, but out in community too.

SPEAKER_00: 20:05

So yes. Representative Travers, thank you for your service in military. Thank you for your service here in the state of Arizona. It is, you know, where you talked about like, oh, I didn't have anything prepared, and I nobody is ever going to see our faces on this because it's an audio podcast. But I definitely started to get teary because when you talk about freedom and you talk about the things people do to acknowledge our freedom. But also, like you said, when you join the military, you have a mission. You're not worried about if the person next to you votes a certain way. You're worried about the overall mission. And I think that that's what it means to be an American, right? The founders didn't say our country was perfect. They said more perfect. And that's what we're always striving for. And that's why we love our country and we do the things that we do because we want to continue striving for that. So thank so much. And to everybody listening, happy Veterans Day.