ARMISTICE DAY = VETERANS DAY

Novemeber 11th honors American veterans, and so shall it be. Some of us remember the original purpose. It was called ARMISTICE DAY to acknowledge the ending of World War I. Both sides agreed to stop fighting on the 11th day, of the 11th month, at the 11th hour. Wonder of wonders it worked.

My schooling occurred principally before World War 2.

Each year, we used to go to the high school auditorium on 11 - 11. At 11:00 a.m. we would stand for a two minute period of silence in honor of Armistice Day. Then there would be a talk by a school or political dignitary about the importance of the ending of World War 1.

That is one way of impressing on skulls full of mush that there is something important about this date. I've never forgotten it.

I suppose this would be considered unconstitutional today.

I grew up in a military town, and there were lots of World War 1 veterans there. The guy who lived next door had been part of the AEF and was gassed in France. I still remember his hatred of Kaiser Bill.

Happy Armistice Day! Happy Veterans Day!

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

In high school there was a question on a test about the significance of nov 11, i put down that it was armistice day and it was counted wrong. but this is also from the teacher who preached about the good things socialism does.

November 11th honors American veterans, and so shall it be. Some of us remember the original purpose. It was called ARMISTICE DAY to acknowledge the ending of World War I. Both sides agreed to stop fighting on the 11th day, of the 11th month, at the 11th hour. Wonder of wonders it worked.

Yes it worked for a while. In 1988 my teen age children and I had a chance to visit Marshal Foch's rail car where the Armistice was signed. We did not get to visit the real car. It was just a replica. The actual car was destroyed during a bombing raid. Near Berlin.

When the Germans overran France early in WWII Hitler brought the French leaders to the Foch rail car to sign the surrender. You may have seen photos of Hitler dancing a jig at the site. Then Hitler took the car to Berlin as a trophy of war.

What I am trying to say is that we need to be watchful of what happens at the end of a war as many times the seeds of future wars are sown at the end of previous wars.

We need to honor the service our valiant warriors by doing what is necessary to maintain our strength to keep future wars from starting.

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