Turning the pages back...

November 13, 1954

Following is the full text of The Ukrainian Weekly's editorial about the first observance of Veterans' Day in 1954, after an act of Congress designated November 11 as the day to honor all veterans who fought in defense of the United States. The editorial appeared on the front page of The Weekly on November 13, 1954.

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Last Thursday, November 11, marked our nation's first "Veterans' Day."

For nearly 30 years we have commemorated November 11, the anniversary of the ending of World War I, by paying tribute to the heroes of that tragic struggle by rededicating ourselves to the cause of peace.

Recognizing that the United States since World War I has been involved in two other major conflicts, which have added millions of veterans living and dead to the honor rolls of our nation, Congress, in an act approved on June 1, 1954, officially changed the November 11 legal holiday from Armistice to Veterans' Day.

And so last Thursday Americans everywhere, here and abroad, for the first time observed Veterans' Day. A day, in the words of President Eisenhower's proclamation, on which a grateful nation paid and will pay each year on the same day "appropriate homage to the veterans of all wars who have contributed so much to the preservation of this nation."

The freedom and liberty which are our heritage today have been preserved only through the sacrifices of our veterans. On nine occasions since the founding of our country, Americans have had to shoulder arms in wartime defense of their nation.

We must always remember that nearly 1 million of the defenders never returned from battle.

We must never let the passage of time obscure or minimize this nation's eternal debt of gratitude to all our veterans, for our United States of America exists today - free, proud and unafraid - because of their sacrifices in time of national peril.

Sources: "Weekly Commentator: Veterans' Day Salute," The Ukrainian Weekly, November 13, 1954.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, November 16, 1997, No. 46, Vol. LXV

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