We honor our servicemen and servicewomen on Veterans Day. We see green lights being put up in homes and see parades in towns, and it really shows our gratitude towards veterans because they protected our freedom and rights. Of course, we should honor them every day, including our family members because they are who protect us to live our lives. What is the most important about Veterans Day is its history and why people celebrate it as this year marks the 100 years since World War I ended. Let us take a look at the history of Veterans Day and WWI.
According to History, Veterans Day began on Nov. 11, 1919, as a celebration of WWI coming to an end, but it was called Armistice Day. Armistice Day became a holiday in 1938 and in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower changed the name to Veterans Day. This day was to honor and celebrate the veterans serving during WWI. Now, it is a celebration for all veterans who served in the different branches of the military. The war began in 1914 before APSU was established in 1927. It began with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. According to the National Archives, Arthur Zimmerman sends a telegram offering the U.S. territory to Mexico if they joined the German cause. The war finally ended in 1918 with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
The war was extremely deadly and caused numerous deaths among the military and civilians. According to Brittanica, nearly 4,500 were missing or wounded while 116,516 had either died or been killed. World War I has impacted how America entered future wars, specifically World War II, where the U.S. remained neutral up until December 1941.
We also began to see people being divided about other wars such as anti-war protests during the Vietnam War because some think of them as useless or that the country is putting a risk of millions of innocent lives.
World War I also affected people in the military such as mental health. An article from The Independent by Benjamin Russell Butterworth stated that soldiers experienced “shell-shock” from combat and in 1915, soldiers were put to hospitals due to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Today, some veterans are experiencing PTSD from serving in the military. Soldiers may go through horrible events in combat again and again. According to We Honor Veterans, symptoms of PTSD in veterans include triggers such as car alarms and fireworks that can trigger a person to have flashbacks of battle. Veterans with PTSD can also avoid places that trigger their flashbacks and that makes it difficult for them to do their tasks such as college work or jobs.
World War I revolutionized medicine for the better. Ellen Hampton’s article from the Atlantic states that antiseptics and nitrous oxide helped wounded soldiers. They also had easier access to hospitals due to transportation. Now, it much easier to treat soldiers with advanced medicine.
World War I changed the layout of the American military for years to come.
