The United States Department of Labor (DOL), if anybody, should know what Labor Day means.
DOL describes Labor Day as:
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our countr
Without taking anything away from every American who is working hard to make a living — whether deep down in a coal mine or way up on the 58th floor of Trump Tower — Labor Day was originally proposed to recognize and “serve as a tribute to the working class — the men and women whose physical, and largely manual, labor had built the country.”
The first Labor Day parade (below, courtesy DOL), held on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City was organized by the Central Labor Union to exhibit “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations” of the community, and to host a festival for the workers and their families.
Today, Labor Day — in addition to being a final fling at the end of summer and an opportunity to enjoy one more barbeque — has evolved as an occasion to celebrate the sacrifices and accomplishments of hard-working men and women in all sectors of industry, service and employment.
In a 2014 Labor Day piece at Forbes, Ron Ashkenas writes:
In fact, these days many people work longer hours than ever to adapt to the global economy and ever-present communications technology. Knowledge workers perpetually tethered to their smartphones may not be physically working, but they’re virtually always at work. So perhaps Labor Day should recognize the productivity and contributions of office workers, knowledge workers, and those in service industries along with union workers, whether they are steelworkers, hospital workers, or government employees.
I have absolutely no problem with such a Labor Day celebration, but would like to specifically include those “government employees” who are out there 24/7, 365 days a year protecting our freedoms.
I am talking about our military, including fighter jockeys and desk jockeys, C-130 “drivers” and truck drivers; those who develop tomorrow’s missile technology and those who maintain today’s missiles; those who use microscopes and those who use gun night scopes; those who sport stethoscopes and those who carry M 16s and sometimes shovels; those who save lives and risk their own.
In a Labor Day piece last year, proposing that “our military are workers, too,” I wrote:
They are scientists, doctors, electricians, aircraft mechanics, lawyers, nurses, engineers, cooks, truck drivers and pilots. They fly aircraft, drive tanks, “sail” gigantic, nuclear powered aircraft carriers and maneuver silent, stealthy submarines. They fire missiles and guns, drop bombs and food, water and medicines, too.
I included several photographs of our service men and women doing such work.
I also included a September 2011 Labor Day message to the troops by then-Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta praising the work and achievements of U.S. service members, a message that said in part:
For the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines deployed on the frontlines of America’s wars, Labor Day will be just another day spent in harm’s way, providing for our nation’s security. It is because of your service that Americans can enjoy this and other holidays in safety and comfort. My thoughts go out to you, and to all of our personnel who must spend this weekend away from loved ones. America owes you a debt for your service in defense of the freedoms and liberties that are so precious to this nation.
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I want to thank all of you for your willingness to serve a cause greater than yourselves, for your willingness to give something back to this country. You are what makes this country great not just on Labor Day, but always. God bless you all.
I have not seen a similar message by our Defense Secretaries since then. Perhaps I missed them. Perhaps there will be one tomorrow.
On my part and with my appreciation, here are some current images of our troops doing the kind of “physical and manual work” envisaged when “Labor Day” was first proposed.
The photos are current with one one exception, because it is so appropriate to the original concept of Labor Day. The exception: The lead photo showing Tank Mechanic, Army Spc. Samantha Brumley, with Company F, 145th Brigade Support Battalion, Oregon National Guard, Aug. 20, 2014. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Wayne “Chris” Clyne, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Oregon Army National Guard)
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Austin performs maintenance on a B-1B Lancer at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, July 23, 2015. Austin is a maintainer assigned to the 34th Aircraft Maintenance Unit.
U.S. Sailor Jason Wyatt heaves a line aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt during a replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Arctic on the Arabian Gulf, Aug. 26, 2015.
Massachusetts Army National Guard Staff Sgt. John Larrabee shovels snow away from the tracks at the Braintree Red Line station in Marblehead, Mass., Feb. 20, 2015. Massachusetts Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Broughey
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Fred Frizzell operates a drilling rig at a well site during New Horizons Honduras 2015, a humanitarian exercise, in Brisas del Mar, Honduras, July 30, 2015.
U.S. Marine Cpl. Raphael Velazquez maintains an MV-22 Osprey on the flight deck aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge in the Atlantic Ocean, Aug. 1, 2015.
Army Staff Sgt. Sarah Schumacher, left, Army Pfc. Ismael Aguilar, center, and Army Pfc. Jose Callazo work to repair the auxiliary power unit for a smaller jet engine on a CH-47D Chinook helicopter at the Rocky Fire helibase near Clear Lake, Calif., Aug. 1, 2015. The three are aviation mechanics assigned to the California Army National Guard’s Company B, 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment.
Staff Sgt. Saber Barrera, with 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron firetruck and refueling maintenance, works with a co-worker to replace an engine starter in Southwest Asia, Aug. 27, 2015. (U.S. Air Force photo/Racheal E. Watson)
Master Sgt. Jim Vlacich, a machinist with the 106th Rescue Wing metal technologies shop, grinds down a section of metal at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, N.Y., Aug. 6, 2015. (U.S. Air National Guard photo/Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy)
Aviation Structural Mechanic 2nd Class Jason Harvey performs maintenance on a tail rotor servo for an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter attached to the Raptors of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 71 aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis.
U.S. airmen pour concrete around the access lid of a concrete underground utility box while remodeling the historic military structure, Objekt Bile, in Postojna, Slovenia, July 14, 2015.
Air Force Master Sgt. Johnathan Chambers and other firefighters battle flames from a simulated aircraft fire at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena County, Mich., July 22, 2015. The firefighters are assigned to the Indiana Air National Guard’s 122nd Fighter Wing.
All photos and captions: DOD
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.