Americans Pause To Remember Veterans Of The Armed Forces
11.11.09 |
Veterans Day is marked today by ceremonies and parades throughout the U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill into law in 1954 proclaiming November 11th as Veterans Day to honor those who have served America in all wars. According to the U.S. Census, in 2008 there were more than 23-million veterans in the U.S.
On November 11th in 1921, an unknown World War One American soldier was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on a hillside overlooking the Potomac River and Washington, DC. Similar ceremonies took place earlier in England and France, where an unknown soldier was buried in each country's highest place of honor. These memorial gestures all took place on November 11th, giving universal recognition to the celebrated ending of World War One fighting on November 11th, 1918.
This U.S. holiday was originally known as Armistice Day and became a national observance in 1938. Eisenhower's signature in 1954 officially changed the holiday's name to Veterans Day. The focal point for official, national services for this day continues to be the amphitheater built around the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington.
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