The eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month....

That is what Veterans day was originally meant to be, a remembrance of the end to "The War to End All Wars."
World War One is what most people call it, and November 11th was originally called Armistice Day.
The cease fire was in effect at 1100 hours European time on 11 November, 1918.

The most destructive war in human history was finally at an end.
Virtually every industrialized country was involved, and millions of young men and thousands of European Civilians died during the conflict that lasted almost six years.
Germany, France and Great Britain paid the highest cost in young men lost.

And all of the involved Nations were virually bankrupt by the extreme financial strain of such a long war.

As was our norm, the United States sat on the sidelines and tried to remain Isolationist and uninvolved. President Wilson knew that our eventual involvement was inevitable.
Indeed, President Theodore Roosevelt saw the handwriting on the wall, as it were during his presidency. He knew that Germany had expansionist plans, and even saw future danger with the emerging industrial power Japan.

Americans viewed it as a "European" problem. Out of sight, out of mind!

When we finally declared war on the Axis powers, it took almost a year for us to respond with any sizable forces. Many young Americans and Canadians had already volunteered to fight prior to our official entry into the War.
The most famous of these young daredevils flew in the Layfayette Escadrille, which later became the famous Hat in The Ring Squadron.

A young man from South West Virginia was drafted into the United States Army, and trained to become a Sergeant in the field Artillery. He was my Grandfather, Jack Cupp.

To my knowledge he never deployed to Europe, and actually served for less than a year.
One of his brothers did serve in the infantry in France, and saw combat.
More Americans died in the great Flu Epidemic than died in that war.

But our involvement did help to finally bring an end to the war.
The added manpower and skill of the American fighting man forced the Germans to accept the fact that they could not hold the territory they had gained, and they knew they must sue for peace or be destroyed as a Nation.

For the first time Airplanes were used in combat, as were machine guns and tanks, and modern rifled Artillery. The human cost was horrendous, as "Trench Warfare" tactics from bygone days needlessly sacrificed hundreds of thousands of young men.
Biological warfare was also used, in particular the terrifying Mustard Gas and like respiratory weapons. Death was preferable to being exposed to that awful hellish gas.

After the Armistice was officially signed at the Palace of Versailles, the seeds for the next, even more destructive war were sowed.

The Allies were not in a forgiving mood, and severely punished and humiliated Germany.
The United States immediately shrank our military, and when the world wide economic depression hit ten years later, Hitler and the Japanese Empires emergence was all but guaranteed.

In September of 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland, we had one of the smallest militarys in the industrialized world.

After World War Two, where upwards of two hundred million died, Armistice Day became Veteran's Day here in the States.

We now honor all of our Veterans.
In particular, we recognize those that faced combat and paid the ultimate price for our freedom in all of our Wars and battles.

No one hates war more than the warrior, and their families.

But being unprepared and naive does not secure either peace or freedom.

Remember those that served, and thank them if possible.

Veterans Day is not about sales at the Mall, after all.