The 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month in the year 1918, is the day that a cease fire went into effect between the Allied nations and Germany. Seven months later, on June 28, 1919 the Treaty of Versailles, a peace treaty (one of many) that officially ended World War I between Germany and the Allied Powers.
President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day on November 11th, 1919 and stated that, "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..."[1]
On June 4th, 1926 Congress officially recognized the end of World War I and declared in part the following,
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...[2]
Then on May 13th, 1938, Armistice Day was declared a legal holiday. A day which we would dedicate to world peace. In June 1954, nine years after the end of World War II, a war which saw the largest gathering of United States military personnel from the Army, Navy, Marines and Army Airmen in our country's history. The Act of 1938 was amended by removing the word Armistice and replacing it with Veterans and November 11th became the day in which all American military members would be honored.
The Veteran's in my family have served in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II and the Korean War.
Thank
you to all Veterans, not just the ones in my family but to all
former and current military members for your service and protecting our freedoms.
Top L-R: My Dad, W. R. Williams, Sr. - US Army, Korean War, Sr, My Uncle, W. H. Hoback, US Navy, WW II
Bottom L-R: My father in law, Henry C. Kogutkiewicz, US Army, WW II and my former father in law, Simeon L. Kitts, Jr. - US Army Air, WW II.
Sources:
1. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, History of Veterans Day (http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp) accessed on 31 October 2014
2. Veterans Day, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/Veterans_Day, accessed on 31 October 2014
