Today is Veterans Day. First and foremost, thank you, from a nation that owes you much
gratitude. Next (for us civilians!)- do you know the story behind the name, and the date of this day we pay tribute to those who have served our country in the military? History.com has the 'history' for us, so please- share this with a young person today- most definitely a story to tell over, and over, and over again.
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th
month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was
declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War,
then known as "the Great War." Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning
the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the
United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean
War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American
veterans of all wars.
The Great War & Armistice Day
Though the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919,
November 11 remained in the public imagination as the date that marked
the end of the Great War. In November 1918, U.S. President Woodrow
Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice
Day. The day's observation included parades and public gatherings, as
well as a brief pause in business activities at 11 a.m. On November 11,
1921, an unidentified American soldier killed in the war was buried at
Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.; the U.S. Congress had
declared the day a legal federal holiday in honor of all those who
participated in the war. On the same day, unidentified soldiers were
laid to rest at Westminster Abbey in London and at the Arc de Triomphe
in Paris.
On June 4, 1926, Congress passed a resolution that the "recurring
anniversary of [November 11, 1918] should be commemorated with
thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace
through good will and mutual understanding between nations" and that
the president should issue an annual proclamation calling for the
observance of Armistice Day. By that time, 27 state legislatures had
made November 11 a legal holiday. An act approved May 13, 1938 made
November 11 a legal Federal holiday, "dedicated to the cause of world
peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'" In
actuality, there are no U.S. national holidays because the states
retain the right to designate their own, and the government can only
designate holidays for federal employees and for the District of
Columbia. In practice, however, states almost always follow the federal
lead.
From Armistice Day to Veterans Day
The American effort during World War II (1941-1945) saw the greatest
mobilization of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force in the
nation's history (more than 16 million people); some 5.7 million more
served in the Korean War (1950 to 1953). In 1954, after lobbying
efforts by veterans' service organizations, the 83rd U.S. Congress
amended the 1938 act that had made Armistice Day a holiday, striking
the word "Armistice" in favor of "Veterans." President Dwight D.
Eisenhower signed the legislation on June 1, 1954. From then on,
November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
The next development in the story of Veterans Day unfolded in 1968,
when Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which sought to ensure
three-day weekends for federal employees—and encourage tourism and
travel—by celebrating four national holidays (Washington's Birthday,
Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Columbus Day) on Mondays.
The observation of Veterans Day was set as the fourth Monday in
October. The first Veterans Day under the new law was Monday, October
25, 1971; confusion ensued, as many states disapproved of this change,
and continued to observe the holiday on its original date. In 1975,
after it became evident that the actual date of Veterans Day carried
historical and patriotic significance to many Americans, President
Gerald R. Ford signed a new law returning the observation of Veterans
Day to November 11th beginning in 1978. If November 11 falls on a
Saturday or Sunday, the federal government observes the holiday on the
previous Friday or following Monday, respectively.
Celebrating Veterans Day around the World
Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans
of World Wars I and II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance
Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of
November). In Europe, Britain and the Commonwealth countries it is
common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.
In the United States, an official wreath-laying ceremony is held
each Veterans Day at the
Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National
Cemetery, while parades and other celebrations are held in states
around the country. Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial
Day--a common misunderstanding, according to the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs. Memorial Day (the fourth Monday in May) honors
American service members who died in service to their country or as a
result of injuries incurred during battle, while Veterans Day pays
tribute to all American veterans--living or dead--but especially gives
thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war
or peacetime.
DID YOU KNOW?
Red poppies, a symbol of World War I (from their appearance in the
poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae) are sold in Canada and the
United Kingdom on Remembrance Day to raise money for veterans or worn
in the lapel as a tribute.
From the bottom of my heart, to veterans today, and those currently serving (you will someday be our veterans- and we all pray for that day)- THANK YOU. We owe you so much.
John
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