VETERANS DAY - NOVEMBER 11, 2005

Commander Raymond A. Boas, SC, USN, Ret

I am very pleased to join with you today, this Veterans Day, 2005, to say thank you -- thank you for your service to our country. Many veterans have not served in combat or at remote overseas duty stations, but each of you who has served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or the Coast Guard could have been assigned to combat duty. Equally important are the non-combatant jobs, whether in the states or overseas. These jobs in support of troops in combat are crucial to support those efforts, and to make sure that our military is ready to defend America at all times. Every job is important in the defense of our freedoms, and I, and your country thank you for your part in that defense.

I would like to share the background to this day of thanks to our veterans. World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. The fighting between the Allied nations and Germany, however, stopped seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. November 11, 1918, became the official end to “the war to end all wars.” In November of 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11th as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. The United States Congress recognized the end of World War I when it passed a resolution on June 4, 1926 proclaiming “it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations.”

An Act of Congress, approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday - - a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day." Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; and after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, 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 its place the word "Veterans." 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" which stated: "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.

The Uniform Holiday Bill of 1968, which was intended to give three-day weekends for Federal employees changed four national holidays, including Memorial Day and Veterans Day, to Mondays. Veterans and patriotic groups objected because the commemoration of those two days held great historic and patriotic significance. In response, in September, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed a public law which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11 beginning in 1978. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

Veterans' Day is a federal holiday. To many who do not understand, sadly, it is just another day off from school or work. But to veterans - those men and women who have served our country in the armed forces - the day has a much deeper meaning. To those who served, it symbolizes the commitment made to our country while serving in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, or Coast Guard. Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor all those who served honorably in the military, in wartime or peacetime. Veterans Day is intended to thank living veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated. Veterans' Day is a reminder to us that these service men and women risked their lives in order to ensure peace for our nation. And at this 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month, this Veterans Day is the day we again say thank you - thank you for what you have done to help preserve the peace.