Today is Veterans’
Day. We all have a little
understanding of what this day represents, but as we are dealing more and more with
the world in such turmoil, I wanted to know more about our country’s history
and this day in particular.
First of all, there is a difference between Memorial Day
and Veterans’ Day. According to History.com, “Memorial Day
(fourth Monday in May) honors American service members who died in service to
our country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle. Veterans’
Day, on the other hand, pays tribute to all American veterans-living or
dead-but especially giving thanks to living veterans who have served our
country honorably during war or peacetime.”
The origin of this holiday dates back to U.S. President
Woodrow Wilson who proclaimed Armistice Day on November 11, 1919 marking the
end of WWI. Armistice between Germany and the Allied nations ended WWI although
the war didn’t have an official end until seven months later when the Treaty of
Versailles was signed. Initially we “celebrated” with a two minute work
stoppage at 11:00 am on November 11th. On June 4, 1926, Congress passed their own
resolution asking then President Calvin Coolidge to issue a proclamation to
observe November 11th as a holiday designed to celebrate world peace
and the end of WWI. “In 1945, Birmingham
veteran Raymond Weeks, a veteran of WWII, led a delegation to then Army Chief
of Staff General Dwight Eisenhower to convince him to turn Armistice Day into a
time to honor all those who served in the armed forces. Weeks led the first
national celebration in Alabama in 1947 which he continued to do until his death
in 1985.”
The history of this day continued when Eisenhower, by
then president, signed a bill into law in 1954.
Congress voted to change the name from Armistice Day to Veterans’ Day. With the name change the date was also
changed to the fourth Monday of October in 1971, however, in 1978, the date was
changed back to its original November 11th. “Veterans’
Day is now observed on November 11th, regardless of which day of
the week the date falls. Federal and
state offices are closed on the day, as are most schools.”
As we observe yet another Veterans’ Day with many of our men and women continuing
their service around the world, continuing to put themselves in harms way to
serve our country and protect our freedoms, there are also many who are back
here in the States recovering from both physical and emotional wounds. Let us not forget to say thank you to those
veterans but in addition to the spouses and children who have also had to make
a sacrifice.
Take time to express a
voice of gratitude for all our men and women who continue to fight for the
freedoms which we, often times, take for granted. What a wonderful opportunity to find a chance to give out random acts of kindness to these special members of the military and to their families.
Though this video speaks primarily about men, we all
know there are a tremendous number of women who are also on active duty or are
veterans. The message is…let’s say Thank
You, in some way, today!!
No comments:
Post a Comment