“It’s important to celebrate Veteran’s day because our veterans put their lives to risk to help our country,” says eighth grader Trevor Clift.  Every year on November 11th, we celebrate Veteran’s Day to celebrate and honor the patriotism of the veterans of that have served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. We celebrate Veteran’s Day on November 11th because of the peace between Germany and the Allied Forces at the end of World War One, or “the war to end all wars”. This armistice was special because it took place during the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Although this war was not officially over until the Treaty of Paris in June 1919, this marked the end of the fighting.

President Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of America, first commended the soldiers of WWI by saying,  “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.” He believed that the veterans of the bloodiest war in history (at that time) should be honored for serving our nation and preserving our beliefs.

The original intent of Veteran’s day was to celebrate our veterans and to suspend all activities and business at 11:00, just as the veterans had done during the Armistice. Government officials would hang U.S. flags from public buildings, and schools and the general public would parade and have ceremonies.

By May 1938, November 11th was a holiday known as “Armistice Day”. It was primarily at the time set aside to remember the patriotic war efforts of Americans in WWI. It was also dedicated to the cause of world peace.

The name was changed to Veteran’s Day after WWII, which had more Americans mobilized and put into action than any war previously. The bill for it was finally passed then by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1951. Later in the year on October 8th, he issued the “Veterans Day Proclamation”, creating the Veterans Day National Committee, headed by the Administrator of Veteran Affairs. By 1968, Veterans day had joined three other historical dates as the four public holidays in the USA.

Veterans Day is important because it helps us remember some of the bravest people in the world. It helps us recognize people who have put their life into serving our country and making sure that we are safe. The United States was threatened in the past, and on November 11th we recognize all the people who gave their life to their country and served the people.