Veterans Day 107 Years

The Frederick County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association thanks all who have served our great nation in service to their country.
Below is a brief history of Veterans Day.

Veterans Day was first celebrated in the U.S. on Nov. 11, 1919, when it was called "Armistice Day." This was the first anniversary of the end of the fighting in World War I. Although the war didn't officially end until the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919, the fighting stopped at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918 with an armistice between the Allied forces and Germany.

In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed, "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 American to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations."

Congress declared Armistice Day a federal holiday in 1938, as a day to honor WWI veterans. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially changed "Armistice Day" to "Veterans Day." This marked a shift from honoring those who served in WWI to honoring all veterans.

he 1968 Uniform Holidays Bill moved the holiday to the fourth Monday in October beginning in 1971. In 1975 President Gerald Ford restored the holiday to Nov. 11 "due to the important historical significance of the date.

How is Veterans Day celebrated?

Veterans Day is celebrated in various ways across the country. At the Arlington National Cemetery, the largest military cemetery in the U.S., a wreath-laying ceremony is held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Over 400,000 service members, veterans and family members are buried in the cemetery. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which honors the unidentified dead, currently holds three soldiers. One from WWI was interred on Nov. 11, 1921, and one from WWII and one from the Korean War were interred in 1958. A fourth soldier, who died in the Vietnam War, was exhumed in 1988 upon being identified as Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie.

Other national ceremonies held on Veterans Day include:

National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Veterans Day National Ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.
California's Veterans Day at the California State Capitol in Sacramento
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Communities around the country, regardless of size, celebrate Veterans Day with parades, ceremonies, speeches, wreath-laying events, concerts and military displays.

Do other countries celebrate Veterans Day?
Yes, many countries outside of the U.S. have holidays similar to Veterans Day, such as:

Canada and the United Kingdom observe Remembrance Day on Nov. 11.
Israel celebrates Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) on the fourth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar.
The Netherlands honors veterans on Veteranendag, on the last Saturday of June.
Italy observes National Unity and Armed Forces Day on Nov. 4, which marks the anniversary of the end of World War I for the country.
Australia remembers service members on ANZAC Day on April 25, commemorating its first major military action in modern times. It also observes Armistice Day on Nov. 11.
France also celebrates the end of World War I with Armistice Day on Nov. 11.

Thank You to all of our Veterans.