Frank L. Mitchell VFW Post 3335 of Jay will be hosting recognition services in the Tri-Town region Thursday morning, Nov. 11. The color guard is seen at Brettun’s Pond in Livermore during the 2020 services. File photo/Livermore Falls Advertiser
REGION — Frank L Mitchell VFW Post 3335 of Jay will be hosting recognition services at sites in Livermore Falls, Livermore, Jay and Fayette Thursday morning, Nov. 11.
Traditionally, local veterans organizations and their auxiliaries participate in this important day of recognition, VFW Judge Advocate Jim Manter said.
“Due to reduced availability of local veterans who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, honors will be performed at select local memorials,” Manter noted. “We have been able to increase slightly from the scale down last year, with the VFW Color Guard being supported by the firing squad from AMVETS Post #33 in Jay, and wreath laying by their auxiliary members to render honors at our local memorials.”
The schedule will be:
• 7 a.m., Livermore Falls Bridge
• 7:20 a.m., Veterans Memorial in Livermore at Brettuns Center
• 7:45 a.m., Chisholm Square Memorial, Jay
• 8 a.m. Union Park Memorial in Livermore Falls
• 8:35 a.m. Fayette Municipal Building Memorial
“All times are approximate depending upon traffic and weather, and all ceremonies will begin promptly at each location as soon as the color guard and firing squad arrives,” VFW Commander Don Frechette said. “Members of the community are invited and encouraged to attend, but requested to adhere to state CDC guidelines with the use of masks and social distancing sincerely appreciated to protect our at risk veteran and auxiliary members.”
The history of Veterans Day
“Veterans Day is NOT the same as Memorial Day,” Manter said. “A lot of Americans get this confused, and we’ll be honest — it can be a little annoying to all of the living veterans out there. Memorial Day is a time to remember those who gave their lives for our country, particularly in battle or from wounds they suffered in battle.
“Veterans Day honors all of those who have served the country in war or peace — dead or alive — although it’s largely intended to thank living veterans for their sacrifices,” Manter noted.
World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. The fighting ended some seven months before that when the Allies and Germany agreed to an armistice on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, was largely considered the end of “the war to end all wars” and named Armistice Day.
In 1926, Congress officially recognized it as the end of the war, and in 1938, it became an official holiday, primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I. But then World War II and the Korean War happened, so on June 1, 1954, at the urging of veterans service organizations, Congress amended the commemoration again by changing the word “armistice” to “veterans” to honor American veterans of all wars.
Congress signed the Uniform Holiday Bill in 1968 to ensure that a few federal holidays — Veterans Day included — would be celebrated on a Monday. The bill set Veterans Day as the fourth Monday of October and was first celebrated on Oct. 25, 1971.
Due to its historic and patriotic significance, most citizens wanted to observe Veterans Day on Nov. 11. On Sept. 20, 1975, President Gerald Ford signed another law (Public Law 94-97), which returned the annual observance to its original date starting in 1978.
“World War I was a multinational effort, so it makes sense that our allies also wanted to celebrate their veterans on Nov. 11,” Manter said. “The name of the day and the types of commemorations differ, however.”
Canada and Australia call Nov. 11 Remembrance Day. Canada’s observance is similar to that in the United States, with many of its citizens wearing red poppy flowers to honor their war dead. In Australia, the day is similar to Memorial Day in the U.S.
Great Britain observes Remembrance Day on the Sunday closest to Nov. 11 with parades, services and two minutes of silence in London to honor those who lost their lives in war.
So many Americans confuse Veterans Day and consider it another Memorial Day, Manter said.
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