November 11th is the day that we honor our veterans as an expression of appreciation for their service and sacrifices for our country. Overseas Vote Foundation invites all overseas Americans to join us in remembering and giving thanks to our veterans on Veterans Day this year. As we pay tribute to our veterans, let us recognize the connection between their sacrifices for our freedom and our right to vote.

Ever heard of the 11th hour?

Did you know that Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day? It became a federal holiday in 1938, but has been celebrated in the United States and some other countries (as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day) since the signing of the armistice agreement between the Allied Nations and Germany “on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.” The agreement temporarily halted hostilities in “the Great War” and paved the path towards the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, officially putting an end to World War I.

After the Korean War ended in 1954, the holiday was renamed Veterans Day to pay tribute to all veterans, especially the living, who served in peacetime or war. (Source: History.com. To see a short video history of Veterans Day, click HERE.)

How does an injured veteran vote?

As a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, many young soldiers have returned with severe injuries, including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and paralyzed or amputated limbs, any of which can make voting very difficult or impossible. On a very conservative estimate, there are at least 50,000 veterans with such injuries, but the real number is likely much higher.

Improving accessibility to voting for the most severely injured is the aim of a new grant initiative from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, called the Military Heroes Initiative. In the upcoming 2012 elections, a pilot study will be conducted, likely in the State of Georgia, by grant recipient Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, along with partners Georgia Tech Research Institute and Operation BRAVO Foundation, to study how new equipment, procedures and technology can be used to improve accessibility to voting for these veterans.

We asked Mr. Chip Levengood, co-founder of Operation BRAVO Foundation, a partner in the Military Heroes Initiative, to explain the goals of this research:

Think, for example, of a soldier wounded from an IED explosion, which damaged his or her cognitive abilities. Would an audio or visual ballot make their voting experience more successful and meaningful? The driving belief here is that these wounded men and women have given part of their lives to defend our most basic rights, starting with the right to vote. Shouldn't we do everything in our power to ensure that they too are able to exercise their franchise?

How to thank a veteran – here are a few suggestions

• If you have a loved one or someone you admire that you would like to honor, find out if your state has a “Vote in Honor of a Vet” program. You might be able to dedicate a tribute to your friend or loved one from overseas. Minnesota, Mississippi, Vermont, North Carolina, Kentucky, Maine and some counties in Florida have programs.

• If you know a veteran who would like to help share his or her story with future generations, point him or her to the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project.

• If you know a veteran from New York you can also tell them about the opportunity to participate in the New York State Veterans Oral History Program.

• If you do not know a veteran, or if you do, you can always:
Tweet words of thanks to #ThankAVet (a social campaign by History.com.)
Write a letter or send a care package. (See more at Operation Gratitude.)

Honor our veterans’ sacrifices by exercising your right to vote in 2012

You can do your part by voting in 2012 and telling other U.S. citizens overseas about their right to vote from anywhere in the world in the upcoming federal elections!

Remember, voting is not just our right, it is also our duty as U.S. citizens!

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Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF), founded in 2005, is the first and only nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) public charity organization dedicated to serving the voter registration needs of uniformed and overseas American citizens who wish to participate in federal elections by providing online access to innovative voter registration tools and services. For more information, click HERE or visit OverSeasVoteFoundation.org.