Amy Wydner, Junior
Veterans Day has been celebrated nationally on November 11th for just over 100 years, but many people are unaware of how it really started and the significance behind it.
Being just over 100 years old, the celebration of the U.S. Veterans is still celebrated today through gatherings at the White House, parades, church services, hanging the American flag at half-mast, and a moment of silence lasting two minutes at 11 a.m. Some schools choose to close on Veterans Day or hold special assemblies or activities to commemorate. State and local governments and non-governmental businesses can choose to either remain open or close for the day.
On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, there was an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany. Because of this, November 11, 1918, was regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars”: the end of World War I. A year later, United States President Woodrow Wilson, serving from 1913 to 1921, reserved November 11th as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. The concept of the day was to hold parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of businesses starting at 11 a.m. Although the concept was created in 1918, it didn’t become an official holiday until 1938. Congress approved an act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U.S. Code, Dec. 87a) on May 13, 1938, which made the 11th of November a legal holiday to be celebrated annually. The day was “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day’.”
According to data from the Department of Veteran Affairs, in 2016 there were around 20.6 million U.S. veterans: 91% were men and 9% women. Overall, many veterans have been haunted by memories from back when they served and many have suffered from PTSD. PTSD affects a total of roughly 8 million Americans, but it especially affects Americans who’ve served during a war. A study on 60,000 veterans who were in Iraq or Afghanistan revealed that 13.5% had screened positive for PTSD. Another study found that less than half of returning veterans who need mental health treatment don’t receive any. The nontreatment of depression and PTSD can lead to drug and alcohol abuse and even suicide, of which there are approximately 17 deaths per day and is 1.5 times more common in veterans than the average adult. With many still suffering after they return from war with trauma and physical impairments, on Veteran’s Day, Americans across the country celebrate the sacrifices and bravery of those who’ve served for the country. It can be celebrated with parades, acts of tribute and respect, and even small gestures to veterans.
Sources
Bialik, Kristen. “5 Facts about U.S. Veterans.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 30 May 2020, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/11/10/the-changing-face-of-americas-veteran-population/.
Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. “Veterans Affairs.” Go to VA.gov, 20 Mar. 2006, www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp.
Reisman, Miriam. “PTSD Treatment for Veterans: What's Working, What's New, and What's Next.” P & T : a Peer-Reviewed Journal for Formulary Management, MediMedia USA, Inc., Oct. 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5047000/.
“Stopping Military and Veteran Suicides.” Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/monitor/2020/01/ce-corner-suicide.
“Veterans Day in the United States.” Timeanddate.com, www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/veterans-day.
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