Honoring Armistice Day

THE LEFGEND WAS, and still is, that at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year, November 11, 1918, the peace treaty, the "armistice" was signed by all participants, and the greatest, most terrible war ever, the "Great War", what would come to be called "World War One", ended. The end, finally, of the war to end all wars, as they called it. The terms of the treaty was so harsh towards the Germans that they thought twice about signing it, until they realized they had no choice. The Peace Treaty resulting from this armistice was so punitive, so disastrous, so unworkably unfair that it led to further conflict, but at least it stopped the fighting for awhile. Armistice Day, we used to call it, honoring the end of a terrbile war, honoring renewed peace, continued until well after World War Two, until it was finally changed to "Veteran's Day". Since the war to end all wars ahd not ended anything, we went from honoring peace, which no longer seemed reasonable or realistic, to honoring the brave veterans who fought in all our wars. Thus, "Veteran's Day" becomes a holiday very similar to "Memorial Day", the only difference being that Memorial Day honors all our departed loved ones, not just the veterans,living and dead. And of course both holidays are extremely important, and extremely apppropiate. Somehow, though, it seems a shame that the Armistice, the peace treaty, the original intent of the holiday, got lost in the shuffle. Because its still a worthy goal, you know. The end of all war forever, and the advent of permanent peace, what could possibly be more worthy of honoring? There is no other hoilday in the United States honoring peace. The closest we come is maybe "earth day" or the Martin Luther King holiday, but nothing purely for peace, other than the one now embedded within veterans day. So here's to Armistice Day, and the dream of ending war, forever.