Number Eleven Meaningful to Veterans Day

Veterans Day is on November 11th. It began on that date as Armistice Day in 1919 to celebrate the first anniversary of the ending of what was then called The Great War. We now know it as World War I.

Communities across the country celebrated with parades and flag waving after President Woodrow Wilson recognized the significance of the war’s end with a proclamation on the first anniversary. Congress enacted a resolution in 1926 to make Armistice Day an annual observance but not a holiday.

In 1938 it became a national, legal holiday. President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed in 1954 that the holiday would be known as Veterans Day and would honor all military people who participated in any American wars and military actions.

In 1971 Veterans Day became one of the Monday holidays until President Gerald Ford moved it back in 1978 to its original November date. Several state governments and veterans groups objected to the change from the original date that spotlighted the number 11.

The number 11 was repeated when The Great War ended on the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month. An armistice or truce was signed by representatives of the German government in the private railroad car of one of the French commanders. The historical importance of that date spotlighted by the coincidence of the number 11 encouraged many citizens to reject the three-day weekend. 

The Department of Veterans Affairs released estimates of the numbers of people who participated in various wars and the approximate number of survivors. These estimates are about four years old, but they demonstrate how many Americans were involved.  

Several thousand veterans from World War II are dying each month. They are entitled to military funerals, and the government has to search into reserve units to meet the demand. The official figures show that 16, 113,000 servicemen and servicewomen participated in that war. The number of survivors numbers about 1,000,000.

In Korea, about 5,720,000 service people were involved. Survivors number less than 1,900,000.

The Vietnam War veterans number about 7,560,000 people. The numbers of veterans who served and many who still serve in global conflicts number in the millions.

These numbers show why the theme of Veterans Day now includes peacetime as well as during times of war.

Memorial Day is a three day, weekend holiday. It falls on the last Monday of May. It’s different from Veterans Day because it celebrates the military people who died during battle. Veterans Day, originating from the end of the First World War, honors all military people dead and alive.

Thank you for viewing this blog. The origins of Thanksgiving will be revealed in this space later this month. Look at my website at www.joevlatino.com for information about my book of short stories, “The Device.”