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History of Veteran's Day
Veterans' Day was originally called Armistice Day and was to
commemorate the end of World War I, when Germany surrendered
on November 11, 1918. On the first anniversary of the
armistice President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as
Armistice Day. It became a holiday in the United States,
the United Kingdom, France and Canada. The day was chosen
in an effort to remember the sacrifices that so many men and women had made
during World War I.
In 1926, a Congressional resolution gave Armistice Day its
official name. Twelve years later, Congress declared it a
national holiday.
However, the peace did not last. The year after Congress
proclaimed the holiday, World War II began raging in Europe. It
was even worse than the first World War, with some 50 million
people losing their lives. When the war finally ended, the
world welcomed yet another armistice with relief and people
continued to observe Armistice Day on November 11.
It wasn't until 1953, when a legislator from Kansas introduced a
bill to Congress, that anyone thought to change the name of
Armistice Day. The idea came about from townspeople in
Emporia, Kansas, who referred to Armistice Day as Veteran's Day
in honor of the soldiers from their town. The occurrence of
World War II and the Korean War made them realize that peace was
equally preserved by veterans of these wars - not just veterans
of World War I. &nbpsAs a result, Congress adopted the idea to
rename the holiday, and in 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower
signed a bill proclaiming November 11 as Veterans' Day.
Today, Veteran's Day in the United States is much more of a
quiet observance than early Armistice Day celebrations. To
many, it is just another day off from school or work, but to
our veterans, the men and women who have served our country in
the armed forces, the day has a much deeper meaning. To
them, it symbolizes the commitment they made to our country
while serving in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, or Coast
Guard. Since many veterans fought in wars for the United
States, Veteran's Day is a reminder to us that these people
risked their lives in order to ensure peace for our nation.
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Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing
limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may
carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg ~ or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity.
Except in parades, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by looking.
What is a Vet?
He is the cop on the beat, who spent 6 months in Saudi Arabia
sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel
carriers didn't run out of fuel.
He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks,
whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times
in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the
38th Parallel.
She is the nurse, who fought against futility and went to sleep
sobbing nights for 2 solid years in Da Nang.
He is the POW who went away one person and came back another ~
or didn't come back AT ALL
He is the Quantico Drill Instructor, who has never seen combat ~
but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account
rednecks and gang members into Marines, teaching them to watch
each other's backs.
She is the career Quartermaster, who watches the ribbons and
medals pass her by.
He is one of the anonymous heroes in the Tomb of the Unknowns,
whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetary must forever
preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes, whose valor
died unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's
sunless deep.
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