Armistice, Veterans, Remembrance, and Armed Forces Days
On November 11 Americans celebrate Veterans Day to honor the military veterans who fought in the service of our country. It wasn't always this way. King George V first proclaimed Armistice Day on November 7 1919 to celebrate the 1918 armistice agreement with Germany which ended Eastern Front conflict in World War 1. Woodrow Wilson proclaimed an American Armistice Day four days later on November 11, and the US Congress passed a concurrent resolution in 1926. In 1953 an American movement expanded American Armistice Day to all veterans, most notably the ones from World War 2. Similar concerns in the British Commonwealth changed the holiday to Remembrance Day.
It feels to me that the American holiday celebrates all the asskicking that American soldiers have done for us, while the rest of the world celebrates the unlucky veterans who died and the lucky ones who got to stop fighting and go home. Both sentiments are worthy of honoring but I think it's worth noting where each group places their emphasis. I wonder if Americans would be inclined to celebrate a more European holiday if Americans had experienced the civilian casualties that Europeans experienced from two world wars taking place literally in their front yards.
To be fair the UK also has Armed Forces Day, a closer analog to American Veterans Day which they began celebrating in 2006, so perhaps they're coming around to our way of doing things. It would also be nice if we came around to their way of doing things as well. This post was motivated by yesterday's Boston Big Picture which features a lot of very good photos of armistice memorials all over the world.
It feels to me that the American holiday celebrates all the asskicking that American soldiers have done for us, while the rest of the world celebrates the unlucky veterans who died and the lucky ones who got to stop fighting and go home. Both sentiments are worthy of honoring but I think it's worth noting where each group places their emphasis. I wonder if Americans would be inclined to celebrate a more European holiday if Americans had experienced the civilian casualties that Europeans experienced from two world wars taking place literally in their front yards.
To be fair the UK also has Armed Forces Day, a closer analog to American Veterans Day which they began celebrating in 2006, so perhaps they're coming around to our way of doing things. It would also be nice if we came around to their way of doing things as well. This post was motivated by yesterday's Boston Big Picture which features a lot of very good photos of armistice memorials all over the world.