Happy Veterans Day to the Veterans of my life, past and present; Ardie, Robert and JT. Ardie and Robert are my maternal and paternal grandfathers respectively. They are deceased, but I continue to hold them dear to my heart. If you did not know by now *smile*, JT is the love of my life and he too served our country. They are my heroes. Today, I pay my respect to them and every other Veteran that has served for the United States Military, with this Veterans Day entry.

In 1938, Act 52 declared November 11th, Armistice Day, a national holiday. Armistice Day was originally a day giving universal recognition to the celebrated ending of World War I on November 11, 1918. If the idealistic hope had been realized that World War I was “the War to end all Wars,” November 11 might still be called Armistice Day. But only a few years after the holiday was proclaimed, war broke out in Europe. Sixteen and one-half million Americans took part. Four hundred seven thousand of them died in service, more than 292,000 in battle. After World War II and the Korean War, President Eisenhower signed a bill declaring November 11 as Veterans Day. Veterans Day now honored all veterans who have served America in all wars. A law passed in 1968 changed the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of historic significance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978 Congress returned the observance to its traditional date.

Whether or not you have family that served our country during war, I encourage all of you to give thanks to the men and women who have fought for all Americans.

Works Cited:
http://www.vfw.org/
http://www.appc1.va.gov/vetsday/