A brief history of Veterans Day
Veterans Day is a day where we celebrate those who have given their lives to fight for our country. The day pays tribute to living and deceased American veterans who have served in any war.
The history and idea behind Veterans Day stem from World War I. Nov. 11 for the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, which signifies the end of World War I. Veterans Day was initially called “Armistice Day.” Still, in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower changed it to what we know it as now. In 1926, Congress eventually passed a resolution to annually observe Armistice Day, and in 1938, it became a national holiday. In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Holiday Bill, which moved Veterans Day to every fourth Monday of October. The law did not go into effect until 1971. Still, President Gerald Ford changed it back to Nov. 11 because of the important historical significance.
Every year on Veterans Day and Memorial Day, Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, holds a memorial service. Arlington National Cemetery is home to over 400,000 soldiers who lost their lives and their eligible dependents. It is also home to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and two United States presidents, John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft.
John F Kennedy said on Nov. 11, 1961, at Arlington National Cemetery, “We celebrate this Veterans Day for a very few minutes, a few seconds of silence, and then this country's life goes on. But I think it most appropriate that we recall on this occasion, and on every other moment when we face great responsibilities, the contribution and the sacrifice which so many men and their families have made to permit this country to now occupy its present position of responsibility and freedom, and to permit us to gather here together.”
Remember to thank those who have served our country and sacrificed everything for us, not only on Veterans Day but every day.