Today is Veterans Day.
Banks and government offices, including the post office, are closed, and students and their teachers have a day off school. However, this date has a much greater significance for Americans than no school or mail.
Every year in the United States we honor all the men and women who have served in our armed forces. We honor both the living and the dead, those who have served in times of peace and in times of war.
Originally this date was known as Armistice Day, commemorating the end of World War I on Nov. 11, 1918. The fighting stopped at 11 a.m., which was the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
The following year a proclamation was issued by then President Woodrow Wilson, recalling the sacrifices of those who died in that war. All businesses stopped for two minutes, a precedent for the two minutes of silence that later became common practice. Several states declared Nov. 11 a holiday, but it wasn’t until 1938 that Congress declared it a federal one.
Traditionally, the President of the United States, or his representative, places a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns, which houses the remains of unidentified soldiers from several wars, in Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 11.
Armistice Day became Veterans Day in 1954 to include those who served in World War II and Korea. Today Veterans Day honors all veterans from all wars. It is always observed on Nov. 11 due to its special significance.
InMaricopa joins all those in Maricopa and across the nation in saluting the men and women who served, who fought, who died or are serving and fighting now to keep us safe and free.
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