11/07/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/06/2024 23:02
On Veterans Day, we honor the courageous men and women who have answered the call of service to protect and defend our country. We thank them for their service and sacrifice, and for preserving the liberties and freedom we all enjoy.
In 1918, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, an armistice went into effect between the Allied nations and Germany during World War I, temporarily ceasing hostilities. Seven months later, on June 28, 1919, the war officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
On November 11 of that same year, Armistice Day was first commemorated. Through an act of Congress, it became a U.S. federal holiday in 1938. However, in 1954, in the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Congress amended the act, changing 'Armistice Day' to 'Veterans Day'-an observance honoring all American veterans.