by Sarah G.
Veterans' Day, November 11, is widely recognized as the time to celebrate veterans and the sacrifices they made for this country. We all know of the day and know what it is about, but do we know the reason as to why we celebrate it? Here is some of the history of Veterans' Day.
Veterans' Day, known as “Armistice Day," was first acknowledged on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of WW1. “Armistice Day” was celebrated to honor the bravery of deceased WW1 soldiers. Seven years later, President Calvin Coolidge made a proclamation on November 11, to make “Armistice Day” an annual legal holiday. An amended act in 1938 replaced the word ‘Armistice’ changing it to “Veterans”.
After WW2, Raymond Weeks suggested the day be celebrated for all veterans, not just WW1 soldiers. Weeks organized the first celebration of Veterans' Day in Alabama on November 11, 1945. When Weeks died in 1985, he was named “Father of Veterans' Day” by Elizabeth Dole and granted a medal of Presidential Citizenship by President Reagan. Veterans Day was moved to the fourth Monday in October in 1975 because of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, but President Gerald R. Ford signed a law that returned the original date to November 11. The holiday is now observed by the government, and government employees have the day off!
Here at RCB we will had a Veterans Day Ceremony on November 12, in the gymnasium at 10:15. lasting 65 minutes. It opened with JROTC Cadets presenting colors and signing the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance. Following a brief address, the audience enjoyed a patriotic concert combining the Army Band with RCB band. The assembly concluded with the retirement of both national and state colors (flags).
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