Every year, on Nov. 11, our country celebrates Veterans Day. America has been honoring its veterans around this date, in some fashion, by some name, since 1919 — the one-year anniversary of the armistice of World War I, then known as “The Great War.”
Fighting stopped between the Allied nations and Germany on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day a year later.
In 1938, the government passed an act that made Nov. 11 an official holiday dedicated “to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.’” In 1954, after World War II and the Korean War, Congress revised the act, replacing the word “Armistice” with the word “Veterans.”
The remembrance shifted to Oct. 25 in 1971 after some governmental “confusion,” but was returned officially to Nov. 11 by in 1975.
The name and date of what is now known as Veterans Day may have changed in the 94 years since the first celebration, but the spirit has not.
Veterans Day commemorations are held throughout the country, and our local region does an excellent job of paying homage to the servicemen and servicewomen who have served, and are still serving, to protect our freedoms.
These men and women of the Armed Forces past and present risk their lives, day in and day out, so that we can live the lives we enjoy today in America. They risk their lives, day in and day out, so that we can live better lives in the future. They risk their lives, day in and day out, so that people around the world can hopefully live a life that is free like ours.
Fighting for freedom is not always a popular choice, and it may be debatable, at times, whether it’s even the right choice. But that does not, and should not, take away from the people who serve to protect our country.
Hopefully, you commemorated Veterans Day in some fashion. And hopefully, you’ll continue to honor our veterans throughout the year.
Your thoughts:
How did you commemorate Veterans Day this year? How can we continue to honor the servicemen and servicewomen throughout the year?
