Veterans Day

"This Day in History"

November 11, 1954

The first Veterans Day was celebrated 60 years ago today.  On May 26, 1954 a bill was signed in Congress to create Veterans Day.

"In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose." -- President Eisenhower, "Veterans Day Proclamation"

Veterans Day replaced the United States' holiday of Armistice Day.  The original holiday was to honor service men who died while serving in World War I.  The holiday was observed on November 11th at 11:00 a.m. because World War I ended on that day at that time in 1918.

In 1945, after the end of World War II, Raymond Weeks from Alabama suggested that Armistice Day should be expanded to celebrate all service men.  The first national celebration was lead by Weeks and held in Alabama in 1947.  United States Representative Ed Rees from Kansas, presented the bill to Congress that established Veterans Day.

Ceremony at the Snook Memorial.

Today many Veterans' organizations host ceremonies honoring all veterans.  The USSVI USS Razorback Base host a ceremony annually at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum.  This year the event was hosted primarily inside, due to the weather, but the base members did complete a traditional wreath laying ceremony off of the deck of the submarine USS Razorback and placed a wreath at the USS Snook Memorial.

Wreath Laying Ceremony

Author: Allison Hiblong