"For months we have slept under the guns … We cannot comprehend the stillness.”
On the personal train carriage of General Ferdinand Foch, deep in the Forest of Compiègne, four representatives from the German Empire and four leaders of the Allied Powers met to discuss the terms of an armistice. After three days, on the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 the Armistice went into effect. Thus ending four years of unprecedented death and destruction, the Great War was finally over. Today, 105 years after this moment in history, that so drastically effected the lives of millions upon millions, we observe it as Veteran’s Day in America. Veteran’s Day is a day that we remember all of the veterans, in all of their capacities, who have served our nation. Veterans Day is a day to remember those veterans who have passed, yet even more importantly, to remember those who are living.
I listened to a great podcast this week from History That Doesn’t Suck. Professor Greg Jackson does an incredible job telling the story of the Armistice in such an interesting way, yet still including all of the names and facts that are important. Episode 146 is titled, The Armistice of November 11, 1918. It’s a little over an hour long but so worth your time.
Armistice Day 1918: 100 Years of Heroes - YouTube, video of various American troops celebrating the armistice around the world in 1918.
They Shall Not Grow Old – New Trailer – Now Playing In Theaters - YouTube, this documentary is incredible.
1918 Peerless Quartet - Goodbye France - YouTube, this song came out in 1918.
1919 Nicholas Orlando - Till We Meet Again (Charles Hart & Harry MacDonough, vocal) - YouTube, this is a favorite of mine – I didn’t realize that it was written during The Great War!
Armistice Day 1918 (1918) - YouTube, oh my the confetti being thrown at 0:18!
“This Veterans Day, may we honor the incredible faith that our veterans hold, not just in our country but in all of us. They are the solid-steel backbone of our Nation, and we must endeavor to continue being worthy of their sacrifices by working toward a more perfect Union and protecting the freedoms that they have fought to defend.
In respect and recognition of the contributions our veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors have made to the cause of peace and freedom around the world, the Congress has provided (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) that November 11 of each year shall be set aside as a legal public holiday to honor our Nation’s veterans.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2023, as Veterans Day. I encourage all Americans to recognize the valor, courage, and sacrifice of these patriots through appropriate ceremonies and private prayers and by observing two minutes of silence for our Nation’s veterans. I also call upon Federal, State, and local officials to display the flag of the United States of America and to participate in patriotic activities in their communities.”
I hope that your weekend is enjoyable, fun, restful, active – whatever you need it to be. And remember our veterans.
