This morning I attended the Veterans Day tribute at the Titan Student Union at CSU, Fullerton.  It lasted for about two hours. 

There were traditional ceremonies and songs at the beginning and end, with some speeches in between.  A Scottish bagpipe player served up a good rendition of "Amazing Grace" and Taps at the conclusion.  CSUF Pres. Milton Gordon made some fine remarks, as did an Orange County judge who was master of ceremonies.

Amazingly, the large room was half empty, even though the main speaker was Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez (retired), who gave a good speech.  He's been in Orange County the last few days.  Perhaps the turnout was limited because it was announced as an event to primarily honor Latino veterans who have served during Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.  A few brief tributes were given to other living veterans.

I was a bit surprised that so much emphasis was placed on Latino veterans, instead of just American veterans, regardless of ethnicity.  Isn't that what America is all about?  Folks from a variety of ethnicities have honorably served in the armed forces throughout our history. 

While it's fine to be proud of one's ancestry and original culture, shouldn't we move beyond cultural categories as we honor current and past veterans for their service on Veterans Day and Memorial Day?

Although the celebration was good overall, it would have been far better if there had been fewer references to ethnicity, and more references to liberty and our shared vision of American ideals.  We are all Americans, regardless of our cultural backgrounds.  God bless America and all of our American veterans.