Veterans Day used to be called Armistice Day, marking the end of the shooting in World War I. The armistice between the Allies and Germany was signed a little after 5 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918, but wasn't to take effect until 11:11 a.m. (Get it? The 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.) Meanwhile men continued to kill and die.
"Canadian Private George Lawrence Price is traditionally regarded as the last soldier killed in the Great War: he was shot by a German sniper at 10:57 and died at 10:58." --Wikipedia
(Originally posted on Nov. 11, 2013.)
I prefer to call November 11th by the holiday name "Day in Memory of Governments' Victims" or "Victim's Day" for short. We need a 2nd official holiday beyond just the one in May to fully pay sorrow and homage to the millions of innocent people, and conscripts, who died in government wars.
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