Just Life| Veteran's Day

Tuesday, November 11th is Veteran's Day. It is a day to honor all the military service men and women of this wonderful country.

My husband Adam is a veteran. He served in the United States Air Force for eight years. He even served in Saudi Arabia during the end of the Gulf War. 

My husband is second from the left on the top row

So, this Veteran's Day, while most of us are sitting in our homes relaxing, let's not forget all of the sacrifices that our military and their families undertake.

To all of the veterans, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Happy Veteran's Day.

Here are some library materials on this topic. Click on these titles to place them on hold.

The military 100 : a ranking of the most influential military leaders of all time

Rise : a soldier, a dream, and a promise kept


Enduring battle : American soldiers in three wars, 1776-1945

Signing off until next Monday- Panteha

Learning | The History of Veteran's Day

Do you know why we celebrate Veteran's Day in November?  It all started with the Great War, the War to End All Wars, known more commonly to us as World War I.  That war began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914; fighting ended in 1918 with the Armistice, which began on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month: November 11, 1918.  The war did not officially end until the Treaty of Versailles was signed the next June, but we remember the date the fighting ceased.

In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed that Armistice Day would be celebrated on the 11th, with the following speech:

 "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

Armistice Day began as a celebration of the service of veterans of the Great War, but by 1954, it was obvious that veterans of World War II and the Korean War should be included. So congress changed the name of the holiday from "Armistice Day" to "Veterans Day," a day to honor veterans of all wars.

If you would like to learn more about the history of Veteran's Day, you should visit this web page from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, on the day he was killed in 1914. Photo courtesy of Semilla Luz's photostream on Flickr.com. Some rights reserved.. 

If you would like to learn more about the events that led to World War I, SSJCPL has a book for you: Assassination of the Archduke: Sarajevo 1914 and the Romance That Changed the World

If you would like to hear about some of the veterans of World War I (85 years after the war ended--when these men were over 100 years old!) you will enjoy reading The Last of the Doughboys: the Forgotten Generation and Their Forgotten World War.

Next Monday, whether you find yourself watching a parade, attending a commemorative event, shopping for sales, or just enjoying a day off of work, please remember to thank all the veterans in your life for their service.