In 1918, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month, the world rejoiced and celebrated. After four years of bitter war, the Allied powers signed a cease-fire agreement (an armistice) with Germany at Rethondes, France on November 11, 1918, bringing World War I to a close. The “war to end all wars” was over. November 11, 1919 was set aside as Armistice Day in the United States, to remember the sacrifices that men and women made during World War I in order to ensure a lasting peace. On Armistice Day, soldiers who survived the war marched in a parade through their home- towns. Politicians and veteran officers gave speeches and held ceremonies of thanks for the peace they had won.
Armistice Day officially received its name in the
United States in 1926 through a Congressional resolution. It became a national
holiday 12 years later. Congress voted Armistice Day a federal holiday in 1938,
20 years after the war ended. But Americans realized that the previous war would
not be the last one. World War II began the following year and nations great and
small again participated in a bloody struggle. After the Second World War,
Armistice Day continued to be observed on November 11. In 1953 townspeople in
Emporia, Kansas called the holiday Veterans’ Day in gratitude to the veterans
in their town. Soon after, Congress passed a bill introduced by a Kansas
congressman renaming the federal holiday to Veterans’ Day. Beginning in 1954,
the United States designated November 11 as Veterans Day to honor veterans of
all U.S. wars. 1971 President Nixon declared it a federal holiday on the second
Monday in November. Americans still give thanks for peace on Veterans’
Day. There are ceremonies and speeches and at 11:00 in the morning, most
Americans observe a moment of silence, remembering those who fought for peace.
After the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, the
emphasis on holiday activities shifted. There are fewer military parades and
ceremonies. Veterans gather at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
to place gifts and stand quiet vigil at the names of their friends and relatives
who fell in the Vietnam War. Families who have lost sons and daughters in wars
turn their thoughts more toward peace and the avoidance of future wars.
Veterans of military service have organized support groups such as the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. On Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day, these groups raise funds for their charitable activities by selling paper poppies made by hospitalized/disabled veterans. This bright red wildflower became a symbol of World War I after a bloody battle in a field of poppies called Flanders Field in Belgium. For more history on Veterans’ Day visit http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/index.asp
