Answers to Go
SAN MARCOS PUBLIC LIBRARY
625 E. HOPKINS ST.
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Q.Can you give me some information about Veterans Day? What is the history behind the holiday?
A. The holiday originally commemorated veterans who served in World War I but was later broadened to include all veterans from all American wars.
The origins of Veterans Day can be traced to the end of World War I, often called “The Great War” by contemporaries. Fighting ceased when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Nov. 11, 1918. World War I was, at the time, believed to be “the war to end all wars.” In November of the following year, 1919, President Wilson named Nov. 11 as “Armistice Day” with these words, “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 councils of the nations…” It was celebrated as such with parades, rallies, and moments of silence when 11 a.m. came round. In 1921, Armistice Day was commemorated for the first time with the burial of an unknown soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is this year and will be appropriately observed on Nov. 11, 2021.
Other countries that had lost soldiers in the “Great War” had ceremonies that same year that also commemorated soldiers who fought in the war. In Britain, Canada, Australia and France, Nov. 11 is observed in honor of the veterans of World Wars I and II. In Britain the second Sunday of November is observed as Remembrance Sunday, and in Canada, Nov. 11 is observed as Remembrance Day. In Britain and the Commonwealth countries and in countries of Europe, it is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, the time and date of the World War I armistice in 1918. (Encyclopedia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Veterans Day. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved Oct. 5 from britannica.com/topic/ Veterans-Day.)
In the United States, Veterans Day became a legal holiday on May 13, 1938, when an act of Congress was approved, but the name stayed as “Armistice Day.” It was still focused on those soldiers who lost their life in World War I. However, this changed when World War II was fought. In 1955, at the urging of soldiers, civilians and public officials, the name was changed to “Veterans Day” to honor all the soldiers who had died in all wars defending their country and its interests.
Suzanne Sanders is the new columnist for the library. She is the Community Services Manager for the San Marcos Public Library and came from the Austin Public Library in 2015 after having served there as a librarian for over 20 years. She gratefully accepts your questions for this column.
