After 72 years of being replaced by “Veterans Day,” why are veterans still pushing for Armistice Day to be reinstated as a federal holiday on November 11th?
In 1919, parades and public gatherings celebrated Armistice Day to value the peace that came a year earlier while remembering those millions who perished during that war.
Seven years later Congress passed a resolution that the “recurring anniversary of November 11, 1918, should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace between nations.”
It took 12 more years, but finally, on May 13, 1938, November 11, Armistice Day became a legal federal holiday, “dedicated to the cause of world peace.”
Unfortunately, as a day “dedicated to the cause of world peace” it lasted only 16 more years. In 1954, in the wake of the Korean War, the government thought it more fitting to honor veterans and glorify their sacrifice. Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day changing the essence of the holiday from one dedicated to peace to one celebrating and honoring patriotism, the warriors, and the wars.
World War I was horrific and unnecessary, (as are all wars) an exercise in imperialism by England, France, Russia, the United States, and Germany that cost an estimated 40 million casualties, with some 15 to 19 million deaths and about 23 million wounded military personnel. The 1918 flu pandemic, occurring while prisoners of war were still held, caused about one third of total military deaths.
British and German wounded come in from the advanced dressing station at Bernafay Wood on the 19th of July 1916. Photo by Ernest Brooks, the British military’s first-ever official war photographer. The Battle of the Somme ran from July to November of 1916 and claimed well over a million lives, making it one of the worst battles in the history of war.
Many of the wounded were horribly disfigured for life.
When the war ended, mistakenly called the “War to End All Wars,” which it was not, people all over the world rejoiced at the arrival of peace after such massive bloodshed and grieved for many years for those sons, daughters, fathers and mothers needlessly sacrificed. The wounded and disfigured were constant reminders of the horror.
British, French, Russian, U.S., and German imperialism were all among the main causes of World War 1. Since “history is always written by the victors,” of course Germany was much maligned and severely punished at Versailles for being the “main protagonist.”
Subsequent historians put more of the blame for the conflict on England, France, and Russia.
In the years leading up to the war, major European military powers expanded their empires by establishing new colonies and territories in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. The competitive friction for resources, land, wealth, and power deepened the divide between Britain and Germany, and strengthened alliances between Britain, France, and Russia.
By the beginning of WWI, Great Britain controlled close to one-quarter of the world and was looking to increase its holdings. British nationalism and pride was expressed and fortified by the idea that “the sun never sets on the British Empire.” Nationalism and a warped patriotism fueled imperialism, as did the need for raw materials and cheap labor to increase market capitalism and profit. Germany, which had become a military superpower by the early 1900s, wanted to create an empire that would rival Britain’s.
In the decades leading up to World War I, countries in Europe had formed mutual defense alliances. If not for these alliances, WWI might have remained a minor conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia.
In 1878, Austria-Hungary occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina, formerly part of the Ottoman Empire. Years of deep animosity between Austria-Hungary, Serbia, and the Slavic peoples followed. In 1908, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, officially making them part of its empire. Tensions increased.
The event that triggered the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo.
Meanwhile, Germany’s military power had increased, and a consequent arms race spread throughout Europe and Russia. Countries stockpiled huge caches of weapons and ammunition. Alliances were formed: The Allies included Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and the United States. These countries were allied against the Central Powers, which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria
All of the great European powers were prepared for war. The inevitable spark to begin the conflagration wasn’t long in coming.
The industrial revolution enhanced countries’ capacities to build large armies as symbols of power and pride. Technology brought in new more destructive weaponry, hence a huge increase in military power by many of the European countries, along with the willingness to use this military power to promote their interests. New technology and industrially enhanced militarism would be a primary feature of WWI.
This “advance” in technology led to carnage the likes of which had never before been witnessed. New weapons included moveable machine guns, chlorine and mustard gas, flame throwers, submarines, tanks, and planes reached new levels of destructive capacity.
When the war ended on November 11, 1918, the common people of the world, including war weary soldiers, who gained nothing, but as always lost much, rejoiced. This was the “war to end all wars”—or so the world hoped.
Veterans, many of whom have seen the futility and inhumanity of war and militarism, do not want wars for empire and profit, nor do we need to be glorified, honored, or put on pedestals for killing or being prepared to kill.
Former Veterans For Peace President, Mike Ferner, a Navy Corpsman during Vietnam, said seven years ago, “Lots of our fellow citizens won’t know the difference between Armistice Day and a good mattress sale on Veterans Day. Many won’t know how Armistice Day came to be called something else. Even most military veterans themselves will not understand the difference. Most churches won’t think to ring bells on 11/11 at 11:00 am. But if nothing else on this day, just look at the pictures, read just one poem by Wilfred Owen, then for just five minutes be quiet and imagine peace. That’s the least and maybe the most you can do on the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day. You’ll be touched deeply and ultimately glad that you did.”
What veterans and all of us need is for society to reclaim the spirit of Armistice Day and unite in the common desire of humanity for peace.
Tarak Kauff is the editor-in-chief of Peace and Planet News. He was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army from 1959 to 1962 and is a lifetime member and former board member of Veterans For Peace. He is a longtime activist for peace, justice, and the environment.