On Veterans Day, we honor those who have served in our military. We remember those who died to give us the rights that we take advantage of each day. Even though Veterans Day is an important holiday many people don’t know its history.
On the eleventh month, on the eleventh day, of the eleventh hour of 1918, an armistice, or a temporary ending of hostilities, was settled between the Allied Nations and Germany. The “Great War” was finally over. Over sixteen million people died. Seven million of them were civilians, nine million were soldiers. The whole world mourned the loss of all the brave soldiers and civilians. On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was finally signed settling all feuds.
When the one year anniversary of the end of World War I came around, President Wilson named the day Armistice Day to remind people of the tragedies of the war. Even though President Wilson named it a holiday, Armistice Day didn’t officially became a holiday until 1938.
When World War II ended it left 1 million American soldiers dead. Then the Korean War began and kills another one hundred thousand American soldiers. Due to all the American deaths, President Eisenhower changed Armistice Day to Veterans Day in 1954 to remember not only the World War I veterans but all veterans. Even though he signed the bill in 1954, the law did not officially take effect until 1971.
Today, kids do not truly appreciate Veterans Day. Most kids don’t take time to reflect on the living and dead heroes of America. Today, I am proud to stand here to thank you. So thank you, thank you for giving me the freedom to live a life where I can make my own decisions. Thank you for making me free.