~ Natalia Radcliffe ~It is Veteran’s Day once again! It’s a day when we honor all those who have served in our military, giving them our thanks and gratitude for their work and sacrifice.
But, you may be wondering, how did Veteran’s Day become a holiday?
To learn that, we have to go all the way back to the ending of World War I.
It just so happened that on the 11th month on the 11th day on the 11th hour, World War I ended in 1918. This historical event came to be known as Armistice Day. From years onward, until World War II, memorials honoring soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country in World War I tended to fall on Armistice day. In fact, in 1926, the Congress made the decision to officially call the day Armistice day, and just about a decade later it was named a national holiday.
Then, World War II began.
Once it ended in the mid 1940s, a veteran of that war decided to hold a “National Veterans Day” event honoring all United Staes veterans, regardless which war they served in. The day he chose to hold this event? Armistice Day. So began the tradition to honor all Veterans, not just those who served during World War I. In 1954, Congress officially passed and the current president at the time signed a bill changing November 11 from “Armistice Day” to “Veterans Day” solidifying the day as the national holiday as we know today.
Fun fact: in 1968, Congress tried to change Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. However, it didn’t seem two work well, and just a decade later, Congress changed the official date back to the original November 11 date.
This Veterans Day, we at Prospector Ranch want to give a special thank you to all those who have served in our military. We are so forever grateful to all of you for protecting the unique freedoms that the United States offers. We hope you have a lovely holiday, and feel the support and get the recognition that you deserve.
Information obtained from: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-the-history-of-veterans-day-104716
Background picture on thumbnail by on Prettysleepy on Pixabay.
