The History of Veterans Day:
On July 28 of 1914, World War 1, also known as the Great War, officially became a declared state of war. Over the course of the war, over 8.5 million soldiers died and 21.2 million others were wounded worldwide. Finally, after four years of fighting, the Allied Nations and Germany declared an armistice on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. An armistice meant that all fighting was temorarily suspended and the countries involved in the war agreed on a truce. Although the signing of the Treaty Of Versailles was what officially ended war in June 28 of 1919, the public still marked November 11th as their official end. That same month, President Woodrow Wilson declared the day as Armistice Day in honor of all those who had fought in the Great War and in 1938, November 11th was deemed a legal federal holiday in the United States. Following the ending of World War II as well as the Korean war, Armistice Day officially became known as Veterans day and was dedicated to every brave and courageous person who had ever fought in any war.
In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill which ensured that all federal employees would receive a three-day weekend by celebrating Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus day all on Mondays. This would also encourage travel and tourism. The observation of Veterans Day was also set to be held on the fourth Monday of October. Under this new law, the first Veterans Day was on Monday, October 25th of 1971. Many states opposed this change because it would just create confusion so they celebrated on its original date. President Gerald Ford signed a new law in 1975 that returned the observation of Veterans Day to November 11th after realizing that the date was significant to Americans both historically and patriotically. Beginning in 1978, if November 11 happened to come on a Saturday or Sunday, the federal government would observe the holiday on the previous weekday.
Many other countries who were involved in both World Wars honor their veterans as well. Canada celebrates Remberance Day while Great Britain celebrates Rememberance Sunday which occurs on the second Sunday of November. France and Australia also observe their own holidays as well. Great Britain and the Commonwealth countries have two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11. As a way of observing this historic day, many towns and cities would hold parades and public gatherings at 11 a.m. much like we do today. On November 11 of 1921, the body of an unidentified American soldier who was killed in the war was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetary in Washington D.C. His burial site became known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and on each November 11, an official wreath-lying ceremony is held in honor of him and other soldiers that remain unknown. Also on that same day, France buried their unidentified soldiers at Westminster Abbey in London and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
I think that Veterans Day is a great way to honor the brave men and women who have ever served our country. I also thought it was interesting to read about how this holiday came about as well as how it is observed by other countries. In 8th grade I took a trip to Washington D.C. with a group of my classmates and we went to Arlington National Cemetary. I was amazed at how vast that place is because of how many soldiers and important people are buried there. We also went and saw the Tomb of the Unknown soldier and saw the changing of the guard. While I do not personally know someone who has served in a war, this experience made me appreciate those people so much more and gave me a new understanding of what the cost of freedom really is.
Sources:
http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-veterans-day
http://www.military.com/veterans-day/history-of-veterans-day.htm
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_people_died_in_World_War_1
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