Over 100 Years Ago:
In 1921 an unknown World War I American soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. At this very moment, on a hillside overlooking the Potomac River and Washington, D.C., arguably the biggest point of acknowledgment and respect for America’s veterans was born. On November 11, a celebration of the end of World War I was held at 11 a.m. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month would become known as “Armistice Day”.
What’s an Armistice, and what does it have to do with Veterans Day?
An armistice is a temporary cease fire during wartime. The holiday first showed up in America in 1926 through a Congressional resolution. Just 12 years later, Armistice Day would go on to become a national holiday. Despite World War I being nicknamed “the War to end all wars,” only a few years later, World War II broke out once more. 16.5 Million Americans would join the fight, with 407,000 giving their own life in service.
Fast Forward to 1947:
The term “Veterans’ Day” was born out of Birmingham, Alabama. Raymond Weeks, a WWII Veteran, organized “National Veterans Day” which included a parade and other festivities, all honoring those who had served our country before us. The event itself was held on Armistice Day. Deeply inspired by the celebration, U.S. Representative named Edward Rees of Kansas proposed a bill completely changing the name completely from Armistice Day to Veterans Day. Talk about having an impact! Congress put up no fight, and President Eisenhower went on to formally proclaim November 11th: Veterans Day.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana 1905
Today, holidays are a dime a dozen. January 9th is National Static Electricity Day, January 14th is Dress Up Your Pet Day, even January 29th is National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day. While there’s nothing wrong with having fun and finding new reasons to be grateful and celebrate, it’s important to take the time and remember the deep significance of today’s holiday. It can be easy to minimize the point of today’s holiday with so much going on in our 20th century life. However, the efforts our men and women in arms have put forth for us must not be missed. So much more than just a nice thing to do, it’s the single most concrete way we ensure that the sacrifices made throughout our history, creating the foundation we stand on today, remain in tact. Thanks to them, this unique opportunity is provided to us remains in our hands: growing, improving, and ensuring that we continue to move toward a new day full of blessing, abundance and opportunity.
Thank You For Your Service!
At Optimum Logistic Solutions, we have been honored to have the opportunity to meet, assist and work alongside countless veterans and their families. We would like to take this opportunity to offer any and all individuals that have served, fought or given their lives to preserve our unique way of life in our United States of America, our endless gratitude. Your sacrifice, no matter the size, inspires us to continue working tirelessly to ensure a better way of life. Thank you.
