November 2002 President's Corner

Bob Schultz '71, USNAAA Atlanta Chapter President

Happy Veterans Day!

Veterans Day is Monday, November 11^th, 2002. A Veterans Day message from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff states, in part, “Veterans day is always a solemn occasion to reflect on and to show our gratitude for those who have fought to preserve the freedoms all Americans enjoy today. Today we find ourselves in the midst of a non-traditional war against a very elusive enemy. Like those before us, we serve in demanding conditions, and our mission requires courage, vision, and selflessness. Today's men and women in uniform seek to build upon the strong foundation laid by America's veterans. The joint chiefs of staff and I join all Americans in paying tribute to our veterans. They have created a legacy that all of us in uniform strive to uphold. May god continue to bless America, and the veterans who so valiantly served her.”

An very interesting competition takes place each year on Veterans Day, Each year, high school students from around the country design posters and submit them to the Department of Veterans Affairs to compete with other State's winning entries in the National Veterans Day Poster Competition. For more information, and to download a copy of the winning 2002 Veterans Day poster to display at home or at work, go to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – Veterans Day web page at WWW.VA.GOV/VETSDAY/. There is also a link on that page to a 16-page Teachers Guide about Veterans Day in PDF format to download and use. Among other things, it contains a two page summary of veterans statistics for every war all the way back to the Revolutionary War! There is also a link to an interesting page about the history of Veterans Day.

The following is a partial history of Veterans Day from the site:

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Veterans Day, originally called Armistice Day, came into being at the close of the first world war -- November 11, 1918. One of the bloodiest conflicts of the 20th century, World War I was hoped to be the "War to End All Wars" -- that is, people earnestly believed and prayed that we would never again engage in a conflict that would engulf so much of the world. Underscoring this hope, it was also the time when a league of nations was first proposed by a world figure of prominence -- then U.S. President Woodrow Wilson -- in answer to a dream that in future nations could settle differences by discussing them and coming to an amicable agreement without bloodshed. Sadly, the hoped for lasting peace and the dream of a world congress were not to endure.

Official recognition of Armistice Day was made in a concurrent resolution (44 Stat. 1982) enacted by Congress on June 4, 1926. It was a recognition of the already existing celebrations taking place in the country and existed as a suggestion to the president rather than a declaration of a legal holiday.

In 1938, on the eve of World War II, the U.S. Congress finally voted Armistice Day as a legal holiday. An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November of each year a legal holiday – "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day". The following year, war again broke out in Europe and while a celebration of a peace that no longer existed may seem a futile endeavor, the holiday continued to be observed.

"Armistice Day" was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but after World War II and the Korean Conflict many realized that recognition was due those who had served this country in those conflicts as well. In 1953, the townspeople of Emporia, Kansas renamed the day "Veterans' Day" and celebrated it in recognition not of the transitory peace won but of the men and women who fought and struggled to win it.

In 1954, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in lieu thereof the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars. Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first "Veterans Day Proclamation".

The Uniforms Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to insure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays-- Washington's Birthday (later renamed "Presidents' Day"), Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities, and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates. The first Veterans' Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971.

It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479) which would return the annual observance of Veterans' Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the express will of the overwhelming majority of the State legislatures, all major service organizations and the American people.

While much of the martial aspects of the celebration -- parades and exuberant ceremonies of nationalistic pride--have been in decline in recent years, Americans still give thanks for peace on Veterans' Day. There are ceremonies and speeches, and at 11:00 in the morning, most Americans observe a moment of silence, remembering those who fought for peace.

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God bless America, and God bless our troops defending freedom around the world.

And… BEAT ARMY on December 7th!

Robert R. Schultz ’71