In DeKalb’s Memorial Park at 1st St and Lincoln Highway stands the century old Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Clock. An annual Veterans’ Day commemoration takes place at the base of the eighteen-foot monument at 11 am. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Armistice Day. The exact time of the 1918 ceasefire ending the First World War. A lot of Americans questioned our involvement in that war but observed Armistice Day to honor those who had died.
Armistice Day was celebrated across the country for years before Congress finally got around to making it an official holiday in 1938, “dedicated to the cause of World peace.” Peace proved elusive. World War II saw us emerge the greatest military power the world has ever known.
In 1954, Kansas Congressman Ed Rees successfully proposed changing the name to Veterans’ Day, honoring all who had served, living or dead recognizing “since World War I, millions of United States men have fought and died under the flag of the United States in the furtherance of world peace.” Memorial Park is nicknamed Peace Park because for years it's also where anti-war, peace protests and other demonstrations in DeKalb are held.
Since World War II, none of our undeclared wars or military activities have gone unquestioned while we continue to honor our veterans. We remain the greatest military power in world history. Perhaps we can also remember and rededicate ourselves to the original intent of Armistice Day, “the cause of world peace.”
