Family Life

11.11.11 | Jeremy Miller

Today is Veterans Day, but sadly, many Americans have no idea how this holiday to honor our brave young men and women who have served the Stars and Stripes came about. So here's a little trip back to a 2nd grade history lesson. Veterans Day used to be known as Armistice Day. If fact, it's still called Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world that also mark the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. Major hostilities of "The War To End All Wars" formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. There's also a minor debate over how to spell the holiday. Several ways are grammaically acceptable, but the U.S. government has declared the official spelling to be attributive (no apostrophe). On the first anniversary of the armistice, November 11, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the day Armistice Day, but it took congress 7 years to pass a resolution recognizing the holiday. The act was amended in 1954, changing the name to Veterans Day. Originally, the day was intended to observe only veterans of World War I, but President Eisenhower signed a measure to dedicate the day to observing, commending and thanking all American military veterans. All non-essential federal government offices are closed today and there's no mail service.  We all owe our thanks to those who have served and sacrificed for freedoms that we are blessed to be able to overlook at times. We are the land of the free...because of the brave. God Bless America.