U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was the first to proclaim an Armistice Day, on November 11, 1919. In 1920, France and the United Kingdom organized a ceremony dedicated to the unknown soldiers who died during WW1.
The U.S. Congress adopted a similar proposal seven years later, on June 4, 1926, requesting that the President (Calvin Coolidge) issue a proclamation to mark November 11 with appropriate ceremonies. Act (52 Stat;. 351 5 U.S. Code Sec., 87a). The text was approved on May 13, 1938, making November 11 a holiday.
In 1953, a Kansas shoe store owner named Alfred King came up with the idea of extending Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who served in WWI. He began a campaign to make Armistice Day about all veterans. With the help of Edward Rees, a bill was proposed in Congress. President Dwight Eisenhower signed the amendment on May 26, 1954.
Congress amended the law on June 1, 1954, replacing « Armistice Day » by « Veterans Day ».
The 11 of November in the US, like in France, is a commemorative day in honor of the veterans of the WW1.
Here is Joseph Ambrose, 86 at the time of the photo, a WWI veteran waiting for the parade to pass in 1982. He holds the flag that covered the coffin of his son, killed in the Korean War.
So, this day gives moments to think of the brave French, British or American soldiers who fought for the liberty and the justice.
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