The Origins of Veterans Day
 Info: www.va.gov
Veterans
Day Poster Gallery
(Click here to visit gallery)
In 1921, an unknown World War I American soldier
was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. This site, on a
hillside overlooking the Potomac River and the city of
Washington, D.C., became the focal point of reverence for
America’s veterans.
Similar ceremonies occurred earlier in England and France,
where an unknown soldier was buried in each nation’s highest
place of honor (in England, Westminster Abbey; in France, the
Arc de Triomphe). These memorial gestures all took place on
November 11, giving universal recognition to the celebrated
ending of World War I fighting at 11 a.m., November 11, 1918
(the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). The day
became known as “Armistice Day.”
Armistice Day officially received its name in America in
1926 through a Congressional resolution. It became a national
holiday 12 years later by similar Congressional action. If the
idealistic hope had been realized that World War I was “the
War to end all wars,” November 11 might still be called
Armistice Day. But only a few years after the holiday was
proclaimed, war broke out in Europe. Sixteen and one-half
million Americans took part. Four hundred seven thousand of
them died in service, more than 292,000 in battle.
Armistice Day Changed To Honor All
Veterans
The first celebration using the term Veterans Day occurred
in Birmingham , Alabama , in 1947. Raymond Weeks, a World War
II veteran, organized "National Veterans Day," which included
a parade and other festivities, to honor all veterans. The
event was held on November 11, then designated Armistice Day.
Later, U.S. Representative Edward Rees of Kansas proposed a
bill that would change Armistice Day to Veterans Day. In 1954,
Congress passed the bill that President Eisenhower signed
proclaiming November 11 as Veterans Day. Raymond Weeks
received the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Reagan
in November 1982. Weeks' local parade and ceremonies are now
an annual event celebrated nationwide.
On Memorial Day 1958, two more unidentified American war
dead were brought from overseas and interred in the plaza
beside the unknown soldier of World War I. One was killed in
World War II, the other in the Korean War. In 1984, an unknown
serviceman from the Vietnam War was placed alongside the
others. The remains from Vietnam were exhumed May 14, 1998 ,
identified as Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, and
removed for burial. To honor these men, symbolic of all
Americans who gave their lives in all wars, an Army honor
guard, the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard), keeps day and
night vigil.
A law passed in 1968 changed the national commemoration of
Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon became
apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of historic
significance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978 Congress
returned the observance to its traditional date.
National Ceremonies Held at
Arlington National
Cemetery
The focal point for official, national ceremonies for
Veterans Day continues to be the memorial amphitheater built
around the Tomb of the Unknowns. At 11 a.m. on November 11, a
combined color guard representing all military services
executes “Present Arms” at the tomb. The nation’s tribute to
its war dead is symbolized by the laying of a presidential
wreath. The bugler plays “taps.” The rest of the ceremony
takes place in the amphitheater.
Veterans Day ceremonies at Arlington and elsewhere are
coordinated by the President’s Veterans Day National
Committee. Chaired by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the
committee represents national veterans organizations.
Governors of many states and U.S. territories appoint
Veterans Day chairpersons who, in cooperation with the
National Committee and the Department of Defense, arrange and
promote local ceremonies.
Additional Information
Additional information on the history of Veterans Day, the
Veterans Day National Committee, the national ceremony, a
gallery of Veterans Day posters from 1978 to the present and
a colorful and informative Veterans Day Teacher’s Resource
Guide can be found on the Internet at: http://www.va.gov/vetsday/
History
of Veterans Day
Info: www.va.gov |
