Here’s a little bit of history concerning Veterans Day. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed Armistice Day for November 11, 1919. In proclaiming the holiday, he said:
“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”
A Congressional Act approved on May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November of each year a legal holiday: “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day’.”
In 1945, WWII veteran Raymond Weeks from Birmingham, Alabama, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans. Weeks approached Gen. Dwight Eisenhower with his idea. The General supported Weeks idea of a National Veterans Day.
I am proud to be the daughter of an Army serviceman, a Corporal who served his country with distinction and honor. He considered his time in the military a great milestone in his life. What makes this Veterans Day so poignant is that my dad is no longer here to celebrate this day with me. So instead of spending time together and maybe going out to lunch, I’ll spend my day sharing memories of him with family or visiting the cemetery…or both.
I am also proud to be the cousin, niece, great-niece, great grand-niece and friend of men and women who answered our nation’s call to duty.
Restaurants are paying tribute to active and retired military personnel by offering promotions for Veterans Day. If you can, please take advantage and honor a veteran you know as a thank you for service to our country and a job well done.
What about you? Do you have family and/or friends who defended our nation in war and/or peace time? How will you spend your Veterans Day?
Alicia Coleman 
Good post, Alicia! My dad is a retired Air Force vet. (During Nam, though he was never called to that particular part of Asia…he was in the Philippines) My uncle was Navy. My grandpa was military during WW2. In fact, my grandma liked to call herself a war bride because they married days before he was deployed. I still have photos of their cake topper from when they dug it up for their 60th anniversary celebration. My father-in-law served during (and in) Korea. My cousin’s step-son is currently serving in the Army. I have numerous friends who have served or still are. God bless them for what they do so we don’t have to.
My dad served during Korea although he was never deployed. He loved his time in the military. Mentioning the military at all meant sitting down and getting
comfortable because there was no way to escape him recounting tales about his training, his duties,the lifetime friends he gained and how he applied military values he learned to his everyday life.
That’s wonderful.
Beautiful post, Alicia. And so poignant about your dad. I know you’ll treasure many wonderful memories of him today.
My father fought in WWII in the Burma campaign, then was stationed stateside during the Korean War. He finished his military career as a seargant, then decided to leave the service when my oldest sister was born. He never talked about WWII but he was proud to have served his country.
Thanks for a wonderful post reminding us to cherish all those who have served, both past and present!
From an earlier post of yours, your dad seemed like a great guy. Based on your photos, I see a hint of his smile in yours. Hope your Veterans Day was good one.
This is a lovely post, Alicia! I hope you had a good day even though your dad wasn’t here to physically spend it with you–I think this post would make him proud.
I’m a Navy wife, but we didn’t do anything special besides telling hubs how proud we are of him! (He enjoy’s his job and he’s proud to serve!)
~Jane~
Thank you Jane. Tell your husband for me, Thank You!
I’m sorry to be a late-comer to this post, Alicia. But had to comment that I thought it wonderful to come here and find such beautiful reflective post to honor your dad, other family members and all veterans. Sounds like you had a great dad! Oh, and my people are from Alabama. Mobile, Boykin and Birmingham– and I’ve been to those cities many times.
Thank you Venice. My dad was a wonderful guy. He loved laughing and storytelling. I’m hoping I got that from him. Alabama is a pretty cool state. I have relatives there as well.