Nov. 11 is designated as Veterans Day because the major hostilities in World War I, which began in 1914, officially ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, 53,402 Americans died in combat deaths in World War I, and 63,114 due to non-combat deaths during that war.
That historic day, a day of joy, Nov. 11, 1918, is when Germany signed the armistice (the war’s end). At first the annual day of honor was known as Armistice Day.
Years later, in 1945, World War II veteran Raymond Weeks of Birmingham, Ala., suggested on Armistice Day, all American Veterans should be commemorated, not just those who died in World War I. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who led the D-Day Allied Invasion in World War II, agreed with Weeks. Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming Veterans Day in 1954.
From 1971 to 1977, Veterans Day took place on the fourth October of every month, then it was changed to its original date, Nov. 11.
Veterans Day honors all Veterans past and present, women and men. Memorial Day, the last Monday of every May, honors those who have died in wars.
Currently, there are about 19 million Veterans living in the United States, most of them (about 7.8 million men and women) from the Gulf War Era (1990 to the present). Others include about 5.9 million Vietnam Veterans, 933,000 Korean War Veterans, and an estimated 240,000 World War II Veterans.
Why is it important to honor and to thank all Veterans who served? There are many reasons, among them the following:
Veterans sacrifice so much to serve in the military, overseas and stateside. They serve most often by being separated from their homes – families and loved ones – for long lonesome stretches of time.
Some of them, back home again, find themselves homeless and/or unemployed, feeling helpless and often hopeless.
Many Veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, which is a mental wound that can be as serious, as bad, as a physical wound, such as loss of a limb.
Traumas of that kind can lead to substance abuse and suicide. The suicide rate for veterans is 1.5 percent higher than non-Veteran Americans. There have been alarming increases in women Veterans, as high as 2.5 times the rate of non-Veteran women.
These Veterans deserve our utmost thanks, respect and support. We have all seen the heart-wrenching struggles wounded Veterans endure in those TV ads for the “Wounded Warriors” organization. There are mental struggles, too, though not so visible.
The best way to honor Veterans is to get to know them. Visit them, thank them, spend time talking with them, encourage them to share their concerns and anxieties.
Let them know they matter, they count and they are truly appreciated.
