My grandfather was a World War II veteran who used to recount stories about what it was like living back in war time. While he never talked about anything grisly or disturbing to his granddaughters, I got a good idea of what it must have been like to be living in those turbulent years.

On Veterans Day we honor our military personnel including the armed forces, air force and navy for their bravery and courage during times when the world has been at war. In the United State there are two days a year set aside to honor those who serve in the military and those who have died in the service of their country. There is Memorial Day in May and Veterans Day in November. Veterans Day always falls on the 11th of November.

For our neighbors north of the border, November 11th is also a day to honor those who served their country. In Canada, Veterans Day is called Remembrance Day and citizens hold ceremonies and wear poppies in remembrance.

Veterans Day was created to commemorate the date on which World War I came to an end which was November 11, 1918. The nations signed the armistice on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. On this date fighting ceased, and peace was declared.

Following the many casualties of World War II, as well as those in the Korean War, Veterans Day became the day on which those who died in all of the wars were remembered and honored with ceremonies and parades. Originally known as Armistice Day, the name was changed to Veterans Day after the end of World War II. To be exact, it was President Dwight Eisenhower who made the name official in the year 1954.

From the first Armistice Day in 1918 until today we set aside a very special day to honor all of the brave men and women in uniform who have served our country with pride. We honor all the veterans who are both living and dead.

There are so many quotes surrounding wars but this one seems fitting when discussing the upcoming Veterans Day holiday:

“All wars end up being reduced to statistics, strategies, debates about their origins and results. These debates about war are important, but not more important than the human story of those who fought in them.”

-Martin Gilbert, “The First World War”

Honor the veterans on November 11!

As Veterans Day approaches, do you know the facts surrounding the holiday that honors our veterans? Veterans Day was at first called Armistice Day, and the very first one took place on November 11, 1918. At 5AM on November 11, 1918, an armistice was signed in a railroad car parked in a French forest that was located near the front lines. According to the armistice, fighting along the Western front was to come to an end at 11AM that day. It was the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year. After four years of fighting and terrible losses of life, World War I came to an end at last.

Armistice Day was first proclaimed to be such by Congress in the year 1926. It was honored on the same day every year after that. Armistice Day was renamed “Veterans Day” due to legislation passed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954. The reason for the name change was to honor all of the brave individuals who served the nation in all conflicts and wars that had taken place and those that were to come.

Veterans Day has been observed on November 11 every year since 1978 with the exception of a very short span of time when it was marked on the fourth Monday of October.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2005 there were 24.5 million veterans in the U.S. Of these, 1.7 million are women. Five percent of World War II veterans are women while 16 percent or Persian Gulf veterans are women. There are 8.2 million veterans from the Vietnam era living in the United States.

Those who served our country deserve to be remembered and honored on Veterans Day every year. May their sacrifices never be in vain. Lest we forget.