Thank you for your service
It’s Veterans Day. To me and many Americans, this is a most auspicious national holiday. It is a holiday to specifically honor veterans who have served this country both stateside and abroad, during wars and times of peace.
How did this holiday come about? Was it always in place? Here’s the thing. I like to know things. I like to find out how things began, evolved, and become an event of ... forever. I do research. And so, I went about finding out all I could in a short time. On the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs site, there it was, just what I was looking for ... the origins of Veterans Day
It all started in 1921 when an unknown World War I soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. It’s a beautiful site on a hillside overlooking the Potomac River and the city of Washington, D.C., Not too long after, it became a reverent focal point for American veterans.
Other ceremonies took place earlier in England and France where an unknown soldier was buried in each country’s highest place of honor. In England it was Westminster Abbey and in France it was the Arc de Triomphe. What I found most interesting was that these gestures to honor soldiers took place on Nov. 11, which gave a special notation of the ending of WWI on November 11, 1918--the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. This special day became known as Armistice Day.
Armistice Day – a day to honor WWI veterans in America became officially recognized in 1926 through a Congressional resolution and became a national holiday through a Congressional Act in 1938. Idealistically, the world hoped that WWI was the “War to end all wars.” By the next year, WWII broke out in Europe with 16,000,000 Americans taking part. Nearly 407,000 of them died in service and 292,000 died in battle.
Here’s another thing I had no idea had happened. The very first celebration using the name of Veterans Day rather than Armistice Day was in Birmingham, Alabama in 1947, the year I was born. A WWII veteran by the name of Raymond Weeks organized National Veterans Day to honor all veterans, not just WWII veterans. The day was November 11th.
Years later, U. S. Representative, Edward Rees of Kansas brought up a bill to fully establish the day as a national holiday honoring all veterans. On May 26, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the bill into law. On June 1, 1954 Congress amended the bill from “Armistice” to “Veterans”. It has been Veterans Day ever since.
The date of November 11th was changed to the fourth Monday of October in 1968. In the ensuing years, however, this date was not acceptable because of the historical significance of the original date to many Americans. In 1978, Veterans Day was returned to its original date of Nov. 11.
The memorial amphitheater built around the Tomb of the Unknowns is still the place for national, official ceremonies for Veterans Day. At the 11th hour on November 11th each year, a combined color guard representing all branches of the military executes a “Present Arms” at the tomb. This tribute to the nation’s dead is symbolized by the laying of a President’s wreath. A bugler plays Taps and the rest of the ceremony is at the amphitheater. Other Veterans Day ceremonies are held at Arlington National Cemetery and elsewhere and are coordinated by the Presidents Veterans Day National Committee.
There you have it and it’s quite a history. Veterans deserve all the accolades they get. Whether they were drafted back during the World Wars or other wars or if they stepped up to the plate to serve their country in peace and war.
My father left home at 16 and signed up to serve during WWII. I don’t know how, but they took him. Surviving that war, he joined the Air Force, went to Officers Candidate School and served for over 20 years before retiring as a Major.
My mom served in the Marines during WWII and was so proud of being a Marine. I have had uncles, aunts, a niece (still serving), a nephew, cousins, and friends who all served at one time or another. One uncle was a prisoner of war during the Korean War.
My husband served in Vietnam and I’m so proud of him. He and others who have served are my heroes.
Many joined the military to serve this country. It takes a special person to put on that uniform, to go through all the rigors of boot camp, to leave their families and for some to face dangers unimaginable.
They serve to keep us free. We should all thank them for their service.