Veterans Day began with WWI commemoration

Date published: 11/11/2004

It was the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918. Suddenly, a quiet enveloped the Western Front on the European continent.

An armistice had been signed by the belligerent powers--and the shootings, bombings, and killings came to a halt. This terrible conflagration of the world was called "the war to end all wars"--think about it: It was called the "Great European War," later given the name World War I to help identify "it" from subsequent "wars."

No longer were hot metal from exploding shells, the staccato burst of machine-gun fire, or clouds of poison gas destroying a generation of people and scores of towns, villages, and cities.

Doughboys, Tommies, Poilu, Boche--Allies and Central Powers--all crawled out of their rodent- and insect-infested trenches and dugouts and out into No Man's Land--to embrace one another, to cheer until they became hoarse, and to bend a knee and recite a thanksgiving for their survival.

Of course, we of the following generations have not the foggiest idea what "that war" was all about. Please, under no circumstances should you ask your civics teacher. Do ask a veteran.

Several movies and books provide some idea of the lives and times of the participants. These include: "All Quiet on the Western Front," "A Farewell to Arms," "The Big Parade," and "What Price Glory?" There are others, to be sure, but these came to mind.

Over the years, in classrooms and elsewhere, people 'round the world would pause for a minute of silence at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, in remembrance and tribute to Armistice Day, and the sacrifices of the fallen and the veterans.

Since 1954, Nov. 11 has been "celebrated" as Veterans Day, to include World War II and subsequent "police actions" and other military confrontations of greater or lesser scale.

Finally, I'm opting for a worldwide "Peace Day." Is such a quest difficult?

Joseph C. Muzyka

Spotsylvania

Date published: 11/11/2004