Veterans Day is perhaps the most misunderstood of all holidays celebrated in the United States. From the very beginning, the holiday has been surrounded by confusion, misunderstanding, and controversy.
It is generally known that the roots of Veterans Day go back to the end of World War I when the Treaty of Versailles was signed. But the date that the treaty was signed was June 28, 1919. Why then don't we celebrate Veterans Day in June?
June 28, 1919, was the official end of World War One; however, there had been an unofficial ending of hostilities that went into effect on - November 11, 1918. That date is generally regarded as the end of "the war to end all wars."
A year later, President Woodrow Wilson officially proclaimed November 11, 1919 as the First Armistice Day in the United States. Thus, the first official recognition of this day was celebrated. Unfortunately, the changes to the holiday we now know as Veterans Day had only just begun.
Nineteen years later, on May 13, 1938, in an effort to clarify the actual purpose of the holiday, Armistice Day was officially set to "honor the veterans of WWI." Some sixteen years later on June 1, 1954, congress amended the act, changing the term Armistice to Veterans, thus officially changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day. But we were not done yet.
The American celebration of Veterans Day on November 11 annually ended in 1968 when congress passed the Uniform Holiday Bill. That bill was designed to ensure three-day weekends for the American people on Washington's birthday, Memorial Day, and of course, Veterans Day. As you might have expected, the first attempt at celebrating Veterans Day on this new rolling date caused quite a stir across the country. Many Americans were confused by the new changing dates and the three-day weekend format, and as a result many of the formal ceremonies that were scheduled across the entire country were poorly attended. In fact, many were even canceled. Several states actually refused to recognize the new law and they conducted their ceremonies on the traditional date of November 11. Once again, change was in the wind.
With the popular support of the American people, President Gerald Ford returned Veterans Day to the November 11
th date starting in 1978, calling it a day of celebration, "to honor American veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for our American way of life." At long last, Veterans Day would forever be celebrated on November 11 each year.
To my fellow veterans, thank you for giving my family this incredible gift that we call the American way of life.
--Peter Pochowski
War Memorial Board of Trustees Chairman