Celebrating Veteran's Day

It’s 1918. You are on a battlefield on the Western Front. The November morning chill has long since crept into the mud-soaked trenches, but the heat of gun fire and adrenaline leaves sweat on your brow. It’s been four horrific years since World War I, or the Great War as it would have been called, began. Perhaps you and your fellow infantrymen are beginning to think it’s truly Armageddon, that the fighting will never end, and you will never be allowed to return home to grow old in peace. Still, you continue the fight. You don’t know it yet, but an armistice between the Allied powers and the Germans has already been signed hours earlier, and when the clock strikes 11 AM, all gun fire on the Western Front will stop. The Great War is ending.

“And this is the end of it. In three hours the war will be over. It seems incredible even as I write it. I suppose I ought to be thrilled and cheering. Instead I am merely apathetic and incredulous … There is some cheering across the river—occasional bursts of it as the news is carried to the advanced lines. For the most part, though, we are in silence … With all is a feeling that it can’t be true. For months we have slept under the guns … We cannot comprehend the stillness.” — Robert Casey, Battery C, 124th Field Artillery Regiment, 33rd Division, November 11, 1918.

This armistice is the origin of our present-day Veteran’s Day, a day in which we honor those who have served and are currently serving in the United States military. Veteran’s Day, or Armistice Day as it was initially called, first began in 1919 on the first anniversary of that 1918 armistice that ended World War I. President Wilson described it as a day that should be “filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory.” However, November 11 wasn’t declared an official national holiday in the United States until 1938. Back then, it was only intended to celebrate the people who served in World War I. Of course, no one knew yet that there would be a second World War, and a Korean War, and the Vietnam War, and the War in Afghanistan and Iraq. It wasn’t until 1954, when veteran’s service organizations requested that Congress change “Armistice Day” to “Veteran’s Day.” Congress obliged, and on June 1, 1954, November 11 became a day to pay tribute to all American veterans, wherever and whenever they had served. ?

Today, in celebration and in honor of those who gave their time serving in the military, ceremonies are held annually at the Tomb of the Unknowns and floral tributes are placed on the graves of service men and women and at memorials throughout the country.

It's no secret what war can do to a person, but maybe it’s something we as a society don’t like to acknowledge head on. However, Veteran’s Day is an opportunity for civilians to perhaps shoulder some the burden for our veterans. Sure, we can say “Thank You for Your Service,” and sometimes that might be enough, but Veteran’s Day is as good a day as any for us to listen. Listen to the glory stories our service men and women have for us, but listen to their hurt, too, even if they don’t vocalize it. If someone you know has seen war, there’s a good chance they may have lost a companion or gained an ailment. Even though we might be fortunate enough to not understand what it was like on the battlefield, just as some soldiers that day in 1918 could not comprehend the stillness of incoming peace, we can still show our support for our veterans.

We encourage you to celebrate Veteran’s Day by giving yourself in service, whether it is volunteering at your local VA facility, donating to a supportive cause, or simply writing a letter to a veteran.

We hope you have a commemorative Veteran’s Day as we leave you with these happy words from Nancy Howard of Kansas City, who’s brother fought in World War I.

“You bet we were happy yesterday morning to be awoken at 3 o’clock by whistles blowing, guns firing and every kind of noise you could think of announcing the surrender of Germany. It was sure a happy day here because we thought you were happy. I suspect you will not come right home but whenever you come back to the States come to see Ida, Clara and myself. Now I want you to be sure to do that for we will just have a great time rejoicing together.” — Nannie (Nancy) Howard of Kansas City to her brother, November 12, 1918.

Did You Know? Facts About Military Time:

As you may have guessed, those who have served in the United States military are familiar with two different time systems – the 12-hour system, which U.S. civilians most commonly use, and the 24-hour clock system, also known as “Military Time.” You may wonder why the military decided to forego the more common use of AM and PM at all? Wouldn’t it be easier to stick with a system that soldiers are already familiar with? Well, it all comes down to clarity and efficiency. In the military world, even a slight misinterpretation of time can be fatal. In attempt to reduce the ambiguity of which “o’clock” someone is referencing – AM or PM – the military began implementing a time system in 1920 that would simplify the clarification.

As everyday civilians, the pressure to be on time is typically low and (hopefully) not life threatening, so it’s understandable if the average American doesn’t know too much about Military Time. Even so, in honor of Veteran’s Day, we’d like to share with you some fun facts about Military Time.

1.??????Military Time dates back to the Egyptians.

Egyptian astronomers and navigators used the 24-hour system for over four thousand years. Of course, the Egyptians did not refer to this system as “Military Time” since that is just a common synonym for the 24-hour clock system used in the United States.

2.??????Italy’s first mechanical public clocks were built on this time system.

Though they were switched to a different system that created less wear and tear on the ropes that ran the mechanism, Italy was the first country to use the 24-hour clock system across their nation in 1893.

3.??????If “J” or “Juliet” is used at the end of the time, it indicates that it is local time.

For example, 0800J or 0800 Juliet would mean 8AM local time. There are time zones indicated by all the letters in the Roman alphabet.

4.??????There’s an easy(ish) way to distinguish AM and PM in Military Time.

0-12 means AM. 13-24 means PM. If you want to get technical, 00:00-11:59 means AM, and 12:00-23:59 means PM.

5.??????Military Time is used in several different institutions, not just in the military.

Doctors and nurses, police officers, astronauts, and scientists all use Military Time in order to reduce any confusion in their daily work.

6.??????Military Time was not immediately adopted by all military branches.

The U.S. Army didn’t adopt the 24-hour time system until July 1st, 1942.

7.??????There are so many countries where the 24-hour clock system is the norm, it’s actually easier to list the countries that still use the 12-hour clock.

These countries are the United States, Philippines, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Columbia, Pakistan, and Malaysia.

8.??????00:00 and 24:00 both mean 12AM.

Which one you use depends on if you are calculating the end of the day or the beginning of the day. They both indicate the same time, though.

9.??????The correct format to write Military Time is “Hours (colon) Minutes (colon) Seconds.”

For example, if I want to indicate that it is 1:00PM, I would write 13:00.

10.??The correct way to read Military Time is the number followed by “hundred hours.”

To use the previous example, 1PM, or 13:00, would be read as thirteen hundred hours. If the number is below ten, include the zero. For example, 9AM, or 09:00, would be read as zero nine hundred hours. If there are minutes involved, such as 09:15, it would be read as zero nine fifteen.

Learning Military Time is one of the first things the United States military teaches in basic training. It’s essential for a more accurate time stamp when any mistake due to confusion and time ambiguity might be dangerous. We hope you found these facts interesting and we hope you have a commemorative Veteran’s Day.