Veterans Day 2013

November 11, 1918: The Armistice

World War I is often called "the Great War". It is the war that was supposed to be the last war. On November 11 at 11 a.m. in 1918, there is an armistice – a cease fire. It is the first step toward peace.

Arlington National Cemetery, the traditional Veterans Day stick flags.

Armistice Day was made a federal holiday in 1926. Each year, the President was required to issue a proclamation declaring November 11 as a federal holiday. 

That tradition continues today even though Armistice Day officially became Veterans Day in 1954. 

The new holiday, created by Congress under President Eisenhower, was given a new name as well as a new emphasis: Veterans Day is a day to recognize all our soldiers from all of our wars.

Milford, CT 2013 Veterans Day parade. (Photo: Brian Pounds)

The Veterans Day Proclamation, 2013

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

On Veterans Day, America pauses to honor every service member who has ever worn one of our Nation's uniforms. Each time our country has come under attack, they have risen in her defense. Each time our freedoms have come under assault, they have responded with resolve. Through the generations, their courage and sacrifice have allowed our Republic to flourish. And today, a Nation acknowledges its profound debt of gratitude to the patriots who have kept it whole.

As we pay tribute to our veterans, we are mindful that no ceremony or parade can fully repay that debt. We remember that our obligations endure long after the battle ends, and we make it our mission to give them the respect and care they have earned. When America's veterans return home, they continue to serve our country in new ways, bringing tremendous skills to their communities and to the workforce -- leadership honed while guiding platoons through unbelievable danger, the talent to master cutting-edge technologies, the ability to adapt to unpredictable situations. These men and women should have the chance to power our economic engine, both because their talents demand it and because no one who fights for our country should ever have to fight for a job.

This year, in marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, we resolved that in the United States of America, no war should be forgotten, and no veteran should be overlooked. Let us always remember our wounded, our missing, our fallen, and their families. And as we continue our responsible drawdown from the war in Afghanistan, let us welcome our returning heroes with the support and opportunities they deserve.

Under the most demanding of circumstances and in the most dangerous corners of the earth, America's veterans have served with distinction. With courage, self-sacrifice, and devotion to our Nation and to one another, they represent the American character at its best. On Veterans Day and every day, we celebrate their immeasurable contributions, draw inspiration from their example, and renew our commitment to showing them the fullest support of a grateful Nation.

With respect for and in recognition of the contributions our service members have made to the cause of peace and freedom around the world, the Congress has provided (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) that November 11 of each year shall be set aside as a legal public holiday to honor our Nation's veterans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2013, as Veterans Day. I encourage all Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans through appropriate public ceremonies and private prayers. I call upon Federal, State, and local officials to display the flag of the United States and to participate in patriotic activities in their communities. I call on all Americans, including civic and fraternal organizations, places of worship, schools, and communities to support this day with commemorative expressions and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

BARACK OBAMA

 Let it fly!

Armistice Day: What Peace Looks Like

A world at war...

The history of Veteran's Day begins with Armistice Day. 

 On November 11, 1918 at 11 a.m.,  a cease fire was declared between the warring nations of War I. The war largely consisted of Germany and Austria on one side with Russia, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom (including England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) on the other. The Great War, the war to end all wars, did not officially end, however, until Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles on May 7, 1919.

On Nov. 11, 1919, President Wilson declared Armistice Day an official holiday to remember, with a two minute cessation of business each year at 11 a.m. on November 11, those who died in the Great War. The day originally was conceived to include parades and other civic events.

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.

                        ~ President Woodrow Wilson's Armsitice Day speech

While the root of this war began, in one way, with a single terrorist act, the assassination of Archduke Franze Ferdinand in June, 1914, it quickly mushroomed out of the complex alliances – some political, some cultural, some traditional – that formed in response to his death. Two good sources detailing the alliances between nations during this war and the details of the Treaty of Versailles (often cited as the root of World War II) are:

• http://www.firstworldwar.com/origins/causes.htm

• http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005425

What peace looks like...

To understand how this war impacted this generation, all one has to do is look at these photos of the world celebrating the end of World War I. This is what peace looks like:

In London at the Stock Exchange:

Two minutes of silence – with thousands of people – also in London:

In New South Wales, Australia:

In New York on Wall Street:

In Chicago on Michigan Avenue:

In Detroit (Photo by The Detroit News):

In Iowa (Photo by the Iowa Alumnus):

And finally ...

American troops in France knowing they are coming home (Photo by AP):

 

Let it fly!

The USFlagstore.com remembers Armistice Day with this look at what peace looks like from 1918. To find find out how to fly the flag and other flag etiquette, see USFlagstore's  Flag Etiquette 101 and USFlagstore's How to Fly the Flag at Half-Staff.