The History of Veterans Day: Part 1
The History of Veterans Day: Part 1
At Five Points Private Investigations, a professional team of Florida private investigators, we respect service and dedication. From our private investigators in Wellington to our private detectives in Miami along with our professional team of polygraph and fingerprint experts, we are committed to serving the needs of our clients.
As Veterans Day approaches, so we thought it would be appropriate to look into the history of this very important day on the nation’s calendar.
There was a time in our nation’s history when World War I was referred to as the war to end all wars. People at the time simply referred to it as “The Great War.”
World War I still ranks as one of the deadliest conflicts in history. By the time the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles, France, more than 18 million had died. Another 23 million were wounded.
The treaty ceremony took place seven months after an armistice brought an end to the fighting between Germany and the Allied nations. The armistice went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Almost 100 years later, we still pause to remember those who serve on November 11.
The day wasn’t always called Veterans Day, though. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, “In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: ‘To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…’”
As the VA reports, the United States Congress made the holiday official in 1926, with these words:
Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and
Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and
Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.
Originally, they idea was that all business would stop, teachers would put down their chalk, housewives would put their chores on hold at 11 am on November 11 in remembrance. Parades and public meetings would be held to honor those who had.
