On November 11, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson issued a message to all Americans on the one-year anniversary of Armistice Day, which marked the end of major hostilities in World War I at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. He issued a message to the people of the United States on that very first Armistice Day, in which he expressed what he felt the day meant to Americans:
“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 council of nations.”
Following that first anniversary of the end of World War I in 1919, Armistice Day was unofficially celebrated every year on November 11th, until Congress passed a resolution to officially honor and observe November 11th every year as Armistice Day in 1938.
Unfortunately, World War I didn't end up being "the war to end all wars" as everyone intended or maybe just hoped. Soon, a little more than 20 years later, the world was again at war. It was a veteran of that war (World War II) named Raymond Weeks who petitioned (then) General Dwight Eisenhower to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died or served in World War I. General Eisenhower, of course, supported Week's recommendation until he signed the bill that officially named November 11th as Veterans Day in 1954. Incidentally, Weeks was later honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan and was recognized as the “Father of Veterans Day" in 1982, just three years before his death.
Today, we celebrate Veterans Day, which honors all military veterans, those individuals who have served in one of the branches of the United States Armed Forces (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Space Force). Veterans Day coincides with other holidays that are celebrated in other countries (Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries, for example), though it is distinct from Memorial Day, a U.S. holiday honoring those who died while in military service and Armed Forces Day honoring those individuals who currently serve in the military.
While most calendars print November 11th as “Veteran’s Day” (with an apostrophe), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs states that the apostrophe is not necessary, “because it is not a day that ‘belongs’ to veterans, it is a day for honoring all veterans.” The U.S. government also recommends that we honor all veterans at 2:11 PM Eastern Time with two minutes of silence.
I've always heard that during combat, soldiers fight primarily for each other. Take a look at the following movie clip from the 2001 movie, Black Hawk Down. The character "Hoot" (played by actor Eric Bana) is telling another character, First Sergeant Matt Eversmann (played by the actor Josh Hartnett) what motivates him to continue to serve. Hoot, a Delta Force operator, says:
When I go home people'll ask me, "Hey Hoot, why do you do it man? What, you some kinda war junkie?" You know what I'll say? I won't say a goddamn word. Why? They won't understand. They won't understand why we do it. They won't understand that it's about the men next to you, and that's it. That's all it is.
I just recently finished the book Fairness and Freedom: A History of Two Open Societies, a comparative history of New Zealand and the United States by the historian and writer, David Hackett Fischer. Fischer wrote about a study conducted by the nineteenth century French army officer Ardant du Picq, who interviewed veterans of the Algerian and Crimean wars and published his findings in the book Battle Studies. He concluded that fear was nearly universal during battle, but the reason that soldiers overcame their fear and stayed to fight was the fear of letting down their comrades. These findings were later confirmed and expanded upon in studies by the American journalist and military historian S.L.A. Marshall. Following World War II, several studies led and conducted by the American sociologist Samuel A. Stouffer in the 1940's and 1950's confirmed that solderis fought primarily for each other, the soldiers fighting next to them.
The men and women who have served together in our nation's Armed Forces share a special bond, a bond shared even among those who have never been in combat. But regardless of their motivations, there is still something truly special about their willingness to step forward, raise their hand, and potentially give their lives in the service of their fellow citizens and their country.
If you are a veteran, today, we celebrate and honor you. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to our country and thank you for your service!
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