Veterans Day
Note: Underlined words have definitions at the end of this article provided by The Basic Newbury House Dictionary. Definitions with an asterisk (*) are supplied by the author, Bill Perry.
Veterans Day honors everyone who has been in the United States military. It came from a holiday called Armistice Day that celebrated the end of the First World War (WW I). The word armistice means “peace treaty.” President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 said that the armistice should be celebrated on November 11th when WWI ended. The first Armistice Day was a day of mourning for those who died in that war.
In the years after WW I people learned more about the needs of their country’s veterans. Many had returned from the war with different medical and mental problems. In 1938 Congress passed a law to help veterans. This law also made Armistice Day a national holiday. Two years later the Veterans Administration became a more important part of the government. The leader of this administration now reports directly to the President of the United States.
Then the US fought in more wars – World War II (WW II) and the Korean War. The public knew that veterans from these wars needed the same kind of help that earlier veterans received. People asked, “Should we have holidays for the ends of these wars too?” In 1954 Congress gave Armistice Day a new name – Veterans Day. This holiday would honor all veterans, not just the ones who fought in war. To make the holiday more useful to people, some states moved the celebration of the holiday to the fourth Monday in October. This created a three-day weekend [see Labor Day].
Normal celebrations of Veterans Day include parades with lots of American flags, speeches and other outdoor activities. At Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC a special ceremony is held at the Tomb of the Unknown [Soldier]. Many people visit famous war monuments and memorials [see Memorial Day]. Veterans groups organize picnics, dances and other activities. Stores will have special sales. Many Americans use the longer weekend to go on a short trip to camp, fish, or visit friends or relatives.
Generally speaking, people of all religious faiths in America celebrate this holiday in similar ways. In many churches around the country, however, either the minister or people in church pray for the men and women in the military, and those “missing in action” – ones who never returned from battle. Pastors also may talk in churches on or before Veterans Day about military themes using parts of the Bible.
Vocabulary
ceremony (noun) – a formal event, usually with rituals.
Congress (noun) – in the USA, a governing group made up of the elected members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
honor (verb) – to give praise and respect to another.
mourning (noun) – a traditional way of expressing sorrow for a dead person.
pastor (noun) – a minister in charge of a church.
three-day-weekend (noun) – Saturday, Sunday and Monday, when Monday is a holiday.
*Tomb of the Unknown [Soldier] (noun) – the burial room or grave in Arlington National Cemetery that is a monument that honors all unknown soldiers who died in battle.
veteran (noun) – any person leaving the military service with a record of good behavior. *Veterans Administration (noun) – a part of the government responsible for the care of veterans.
©Bill Perry. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author.
