Veterans Day
-Jason
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Veterans Day is commemorated as a national holiday in the United States annually on 11 November. This date is tied to Armistice Day when the hostilities officially ended in World War I. Veterans Day pays tribute to all living and dead American veterans, but with an emphasis on the living. This contrasts with Memorial Day, commemorated on the last Monday in May, which pays tribute specifically to those veterans who gave their lives in the service of the United States.
11 November 1918 was the official cessation of conflict in World War I. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the War to End all Wars had raged for four years. Millions of soldiers and civilians were maimed or killed during the world-spanning conflict. At the end of October 1918, the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire, and Imperial Germany) were exhausted and sought to cease the fighting. The first three had all sent envoys to the Entente Powers seeking terms for an armistice; Imperial Germany would be close behind them.
German forces were retreating from the Belgian and French territory that they had occupied since August 1914 and, with all its allies defeated, the Imperial Army sought peace. Field Marshals Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff resigned their dictatorial powers and handed the process of surrendering over to a new German government based in Weimar. The American, British, and French military representatives met with their German counterparts and an armistice was agreed upon.
On 11 November 1919, US President Woodrow Wilson, who had led the Americans into World War I, issued a message to the American public celebrating the first anniversary of Armistice Day. In this message, Wilson reiterated the terrible cost of World War I and requested that Americans remember the sacrifices of their fellow citizens and hope for future of world peace. The US Congress adopted a resolution on 4 July 1926 requesting President Calvin Coolidge issue an annual proclamation calling for a national observance of 11 November. A Congressional Act was passed in 1938 that made 11 November a legal holiday, initially centered around Armistice Day and the cause of world peace. World War II broke out only a year later and the most horrific conflict in human history was fought for six years.
At the end of World War II, veteran Raymond Weeks worked to expand 11 November to commemorate all veterans. He led a delegation to meet with General Dwight D. Eisenhower, former Supreme Commander of all Allied Forces in Europe, who also approved of the idea. Eisenhower was a strong supporter of veterans and pushed the idea to Washington. The first national celebration was held in 1947 with Weeks leading the parade; he would continue to do this every year until his death in 1985. Raymond Weeks has been called the “Father of Veterans Day.”
On 26 May 1954, now President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Veterans Day into law as a federal holiday. US Representative Ed Rees of Kansas had pushed the bill through Congress and was awarded the first ever National Veterans Award in 1954. The commemoration of Veterans Day was shifted when the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was passed which attempted to move all federal holidays to fall on Mondays. Veterans Day was moved to the fourth Monday of October for the next six years. This decision was reversed in 1978 to its original date of 11 November to line back up to its historical precedent. It is recommended that two minutes of silence be observed starting at 2:11 pm EST on 11 November to mark the Armistice.
To all active and retired US veterans, thank you for your service and sacrifices.