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Honoring our veterans

One of the distinctions of the Fallbrook community is the number of military veterans living in our midst. As the nation prepares to celebrate Veterans Day Nov. 11, I thought it appropriate to share the following article by Katie Lange which is posted on the Department of Defense website.

She listed five facts Americans should know about Veterans Day.

Veterans Day does not have an apostrophe.

A lot of people think it’s “Veteran’s Day” or “Veterans’ Day,” but they’re wrong. The holiday is not a day that “belongs” to one veteran or multiple veterans, which is what an apostrophe implies. It’s a day for honoring all veterans – so no apostrophe needed.

Veterans Day is not the same as Memorial Day.

A lot of Americans get this confused, and I’ll be honest – it can be a little annoying to all of the living veterans out there.

Memorial Day is a time to remember those who gave their lives for our country, particularly in battle or from wounds they suffered in battle. Veterans Day honors all of those who have served the country in war or peace – dead or alive – although it’s largely intended to thank living veterans for their sacrifices.

The day was originally called Armistice Day, commemorating the end of World War I.

World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed June 28, 1919. However, the fighting ended about seven months before that when the Allies and Germany put into effect an armistice on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, was largely considered the end of “the war to end all wars” and dubbed Armistice Day. In 1926, Congress officially recognized it as the end of the war, and in 1938, it became an official holiday primarily set aside to honor veterans of World War I.

But then World War II and the Korean War happened, so beginning June 1, 1954, at the urging of veterans’ service organizations, Congress amended the commemoration yet again by changing the word “armistice” to “veterans” so the day would honor American veterans of all wars.

For a while, Veterans Day’s date was changed too, and it confused everybody.

Congress signed the Uniform Holiday Bill in 1968 to ensure that a few federal holidays – Veterans Day included – would be celebrated on a Monday. Officials hoped it would spur travel and other family activities over a long weekend, which would stimulate the economy.

For some inexplicable reason, the bill set Veterans Day commemorations for the fourth Monday of every October.

The first Veterans Day under this new bill was held Oct. 25, 1971. I’m not sure why it took three years to implement, but not surprisingly, there was a lot of confusion about the change and many states were unhappy, choosing to continue to recognize the day as they previously had – in November.

Within a few years, it became pretty apparent that most U.S. citizens wanted to celebrate Veterans Day Nov. 11, since it was a matter of historic and patriotic significance. So, Sept. 20, 1975, President Gerald Ford signed another law, Public Law 94-97, which returned the annual observance to its original date starting in 1978.

Other countries celebrate Veterans Day too, in their own ways.

World War I was a multinational effort, so it makes sense that our allies also wanted to celebrate their veterans Nov. 11. The name of the day and the types of commemorations differ, however.

Canada and Australia both call Nov. 11 “Remembrance Day.” Canada’s observance is pretty similar to our own, except that many of its citizens wear red poppy flowers to honor their war dead.

In Australia, the day is more akin to our Memorial Day. Great Britain calls it “Remembrance Day” too, but observes it on the Sunday closest to Nov. 11 with parades, services and two minutes of silence in London to honor those who lost their lives in war.

 

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