Reclaim Armistice Day
Nov. 11, will mark the 107th anniversary of the signing of the World War I armistice that ceased hostilities on the Western Front, which took effect on the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918. With this ceasefire, nations still recovering from the horrible nightmare of WWI, one of the deadliest conflicts in human history, collectively embraced peace as a universal principle and called for an end to all wars.
That appalling event led to Armistice Day which was initially designated as “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated.” But in 1954 during the Cold War, the U.S. Congress passed a bill that changed “Armistice Day” to Veterans Day. Stripped of its original intention, Nov. 11 became a day identified with war instead of peace — a day for remembering yet more war dead, honoring all veterans and glorifying militarism.
Veterans for Peace believes that a day that celebrates peace, not war, is the best way to honor the sacrifices of those who have served in war. We know the destruction and sorrow that war has caused and continues to cause, and we understand its senseless futility.
In reclaiming Nov. 11 as Armistice Day, Veterans for Peace calls for an end to armed conflict and asks that as Americans, we dedicate ourselves to the hard work of building real and lasting peace globally.