Armistice day
2 min read
By Erik Minteer
Armistice day is an international holiday that celebrates the end of World War One on November 11th. The war started in 1914 on June 28th and ended on November 11th of 1918. World War One ended with Germany signing an armistice agreement with their allies to end the war.
Although the war ended on that day in 1918, conflict between the forces was ongoing until a treaty known as the Treaty of Versailles was signed. This treaty destabilized Europe and eventually became one of the causes for World War Two to start.
On Armistice Day there are several traditions followed and practiced throughout the country. Two of them include flying the American Flag at half-mast and a two-minute silence during sports events or live news footage when the clock hits 11 A.M. marking the time that silence fell on the battle field. Many churches will offer service on Armistice day for the lives lost during the war. After being interviewed on the topic of Armistice Day, Nick Toy from C.I.T. said, “I believe veterans have well earned respect in their time, and deserve everything.” Matthias Ripley from LEIT said, “I think it’s a good celebration, it marks the end of the first world war”.
In 1954 the name of the holiday had changed to Remembrance Day or most well-known now as Veterans Day. The reason for this is that for many years after the war many soldiers were sent to continue fighting in other countries. The name change was important because the focus of the holiday went from being only the survivors and the fallen of World War One to all veterans in every war.
Armistice day is a great holiday to honor soldiers and veterans who have experienced the battle field.
