Vol.II, No.21
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November 11th By Pat Farrell
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID San Antonio, Texas Paid Permit #1590
On current calendars November 11th is known in the United States as “Veterans Day” but that was not always the case. There are many Americans today who still recall when November 11th was known as “Armistice Day.” And, defined as a formal agreement between warring parties to cease fighting, an armistice does not necessarily end a war but only stops hostilities until negotiations can, if ever, actually lead to a lasting peace. An armistice was most notably used at the end of World War I (WWI) to cease the fighting on the Western Front between the Allies and Germany. The WW I conflict (also known as the “Great War”) was said to have been triggered when, on June 28, 1914, during a visit to Sarajevo, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of AustriaHungary, and his wife Sophie were assassinated by a Yugoslav nationalist. Although trouble had been brewing in the area for five
years, Austria-Hungary delivered ten intentionally made unacceptable demands via the “July Ultimatum” which then led to the July 23, 1914 declaration of war on the Kingdom of Serbia. When each side was joined by other nations, they began a battle that ultimately spread throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia. It is interesting to note that, despite the international turmoil it created, the citizens of Vienna exhibited little or no reaction to, or interest in, the assassination of the Archduke and his wife. Initially the principal Allies during WWI included the British Empire, French Republic, Russian Empire, Empire of Japan and Kingdom of Italy while the opposing side was mainly Germany and Austria-Hungary. The United States made their entry into the fray in 1917, essentially arising as a new global power as it declared war against Germany because of its continued attacks on international shipping. Finally, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the Allies and Germany signed an armistice agreement to stop fighting on the Western Front and the November 11th Armistice Day was created. Though many today may be unaware, the vivid red poppies that in 1915, flowered on the battlefields and burial sites in Belgium, France and Gallipoli, became a symbol for the great loss of life in war. This does cover a lot of history but, after all, it was known as “The War to End All Wars!” Following the armistice many national borders were redrawn, some Empires ceased to exist, and several nations were either created or restored as the “spoils of war” were distributed among the “win-
ners.” This was one of the deadliest conflicts in history as at least nine million combatants and seven million civilians were killed and more than 20 million were severely injured. In 1921, on Armistice Day, the remains of an unknown American, British and French soldier were buried at Arlington, Westminster Abbey and the Arc de Triomphe respectively. Unfortunately, the effort to prevent future conflict failed and it is believed that economic depression, the rise in nationalism, revolutions in many countries and the humiliation felt by Germany gave rise to Nazism and set the stage for World War II (WWII). By 1939 Adolph Hitler had signed strategic partnerships with Italy and Japan to fulfill his dream of world domination and with his Nazi Party began by invading Poland, leading to both France and Great Britain declaring war on Germany and ushering in WWII. The United States (US), remembering the cost of their involvement in WWI, determined that this was a problem in Europe and was really none of their concern. That mindset changed when the Japanese bombed the United States naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, destroying 21 ships, 188 planes and killing 2403 people and learning that both Italy and Germany had declared war on the US four days later. By then 134,000 had enlisted for military service. The war raged on in Europe until 1945 when Germany surrendered in May and the peace settlement called for the division of Germany into four areas to be controlled by the Soviet Union, United States, Britain or France. Simultaneously the war in the Pacific continued until early August,
November 1, 2016
1945 when atom bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki leading the Japanese to formally surrender in September. Among international conflicts in history, World War II proved to be the most devastating , taking the lives of some 35 to 60 million people, which includes some 6 million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis, and as would be expected, millions more suffered serious injuries. Although Russia and the United States worked together during WWII they ended up with a mutual distrust that contributed to their continued “cold war” and although it seemed to thaw for awhile it looks to be on the way back. August of 1945 also saw Russia declare war on Japan which had ruled Korea from 1910 until the Japanese surrender. North Korea, above the 38th parallel was liberated by Russia while the US moved into South Korea. Each part of Korea had its own government and each claimed to be the true Korean government. Hostilities between the two Koreas were relatively minor until June of 1950 when North Korea moved into the Southern territory in what was considered a major act of aggression and the US, with the help of 20 other countries came to protect South Korea. The Korean War continued until July 27, 1953 when an armistice was signed that created the Korean Demilitarized Zone which separates the two Koreas. Since no peace treaty was created the two countries are, to this day, still at war and periodic clashes continue. As there was a lack of public attention this war is often referred to as the “Forgotten War” or the “Unknown War.” At this point we had survived three major wars and recognized that WWII had experienced the greatest mobilization of troops in the country’s history - more than 16 million. The service organizations requested that Armistice Day be renamed Veterans Day to honor all those who had served in any war.