The Iberia Veterans Association presents the colors at Monday's Veterans Day event.

The message was clear Monday night: Americans shouldn’t need a Veterans Day holiday.

“We should treat our veterans like it is Veterans Day every day,” said Gaston Dubas, a US Army veteran and the VFW District commander. “It should not be one day a year.”

For the 60 or so people who showed up for the annual Veterans Day salute at Bouligny Plaza, that thought resonated, as did Pastor Curley Adams’ recitation of the POW-MIA prayer, as Purple Heart recipient Roy Marks stood attentively at the single table, set for one, with its symbolism and meaning explained through Adams’ words.

Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, is not primarily a time of remembrance for the fallen who have given their all to keep our nation free. It is an opportunity for citizens to proclaim their support for the peace our warriors have brought to the land, and the duty they serve each day to maintain the rights that Americans hold dear.

The holiday, however, has gone through some changes to become the event we know today.

It was originally created to celebrate the end of World War I on Nov. 11, 1918 — on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, exactly 101 years ago yesterday. That is the date and time when the Treaty of Versailles, which ended what was then known as The Great War, went into effect.

Congress passed an act creating the federal holiday on May 19, 1938.

After World War II, an effort began to make the holiday more inclusive, celebrating Americans who served in all wars, not just World War I. Congress passed an act on June 1, 1954, renaming the holiday Veterans Day.

This year’s emcee for the New Iberia program, Chris Sullivan, serves as the Veterans Affairs adviser for 3rd District Rep. Clay Higgins. Sullivan is himself a veteran, having served as a combat engineer in Iraq. While removing an improvised explosive device (IED) from a convoy route, a sniper waiting in ambush fired. The bullet hit Sullivan, cutting his carotid artery and his spine. His team members took care of him, administering emergency first aid until he could be medevaced.

“I said that day to God and my guys, I told them, “If you save my life today, I promise I will serve the two forces — God and veterans. When I got home, I felt compelled to fulfill that promise.”

Even though he was paralyzed from the chest down, Sullivan started volunteering at the local Veterans Administration, then took a job there. More than a decade later, he is still in government service, doing whatever he can for the veterans who served.

“I want to echo what Mr. Dubas said,” Sullivan said. “Every day we should treat our veterans like it is Veterans Day. Because every day we reap the benefits of the freedom that they paid for in blood, paid for in sweat, paid for in tears.”