PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Veterans Day is coming up—a day to honor all those who have fought for our country.
In 1998, Mike Stevens heard from veterans themselves about what the day meant to them in this trip Back Down The Pennsylvania Road.
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day
The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings, and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m.
An Act of Congress approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.” Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor Veterans of World War I,
In 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen in the nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, Congress amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11 became a day to honor American Veterans of all wars. — From the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs.