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| In 1921, an unknown
World War I American soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. This site, on a
hillside overlooking the city of Washington, D. C. and the Potomac River became a place of
reverence for America's veterans.
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| Realizing that peace
was equally preserved by veterans of WW II and Korea, Congress was requested to change
this day to honor those who have served America in all wars. In 1954 President Eisenhower
signed a bill proclaiming November 11 as Veterans Day. On Memorial Day 1958, two more unidentified American war dead were brought from overseas and interred beside the unknown soldier of World War I. One was killed in World War II, the other in the Korean War. In 1973, a law passed providing interment of an unknown American from the Vietnam War, but none was found for several years. In 1984, an unknown serviceman from that conflict was placed alongside the others. To honor these men, symbolic of all Americans who gave their lives in all wars, an Army honor guard, The 3d U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard), keeps day and night vigil. A law passed in 1968 changed the national celebration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of historic significance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978 Congress returned the observance to its traditional date. |
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Official national ceremonies for Veterans Day continue to be the memorial amphitheater at the Tomb of the Unknowns. At 11 a.m. on November 11, a combined color guard representing all military services executes "Present Arms" at the tomb. The nation's tribute to its war dead is symbolized by the laying of a presidential wreath and a bugler plays "taps."
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May 28, 2005
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