It was 87 years ago tomorrow that the guns were silenced. At
the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, peace
finally came. World War I was over.
President Wilson issued
a statement: “The Armistice was signed this morning. Everything
for which America fought has been accomplished. It will now
be our fortunate duty to assist by example.”
World War I was
supposed to be the conflict that would end all wars. According
to Mr. Wilson, its purpose was to make the world safe for democracy.
There had been more than a little irony involved. The
president had narrowly won re-election in 1916 on the slogan, “He
kept us out of war.”
Some Americans were impatient to get into
the combat that had been going on in Europe for years. There
was lingering resentment because 124 Americans had died in 1915 when
a German torpedo sank the luxury liner Lusitania.
It made
little difference that the German embassy had placed newspaper ads
warning that “travelers sailing in the war zone on ships of Great
Britain or her allies do so at their own risk.” Years later
it was disclosed the Lusitania had munitions aboard, just as the Germans
had claimed.
Other Americans wished to maintain a strict neutrality. They subscribed to the view of George Washington and the other Founders
who counseled nonintervention in foreign conflicts. In his final
statement to the American people, he maintained:
“The great
rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is in extending
our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection
as possible. Europe has a set of primary interests, which to
us have none, or a very remote relation. . . . therefore, it must
be unwise in us to implicate ourselves, by artificial ties, in the
ordinary vicissitudes of her politics. . .”
But when the
U.S. officially entered the war, personal feelings were set aside. Huge numbers of war bonds were purchased, food and fuel were more
or less voluntarily rationed and citizens worked to keep war-related
factories running 24 hours a day.
More than two million American
“doughboys” went off to Europe. The initial exhilaration quickly
wore off.
Reality was grimy combat in trenches and exploding
grenades and chemical warfare. Over 53,000 died in combat.
Today,
only a few dozen World War I veterans survive. Armistice Day
was declared by President Wilson to honor the dead of what was then
known as “The Great War.” In the 1950s, Armistice Day was changed
to Veterans Day to honor all those who have honorably served at anytime.
When
I was young, older folks often referred to Veterans Day as Armistice
Day. They were often the same people who called Memorial Day,
which was established as a tribute to those who died in battle, by
its earlier name of Decoration Day.
In the years since
the first Armistice Day, Americans have been deployed in military
actions in many places around the world. Hundreds of thousands
of servicemen – and now some women - have died in wars. All
who have served, no matter in what capacity, have given up a considerable
portion of their lives, their comfort, and their safety.
As in
World War I, there is always divided public opinion on the question
of going to war. Most armed conflicts aren't as unambiguous
as the Revolutionary War. Even then we had Tories among us who
remained loyal to King George.
One thing remains constant. When the decision is made to get into a fight, young Americans rise
to the occasion. They come from the farm and the city and the
suburbs. They’re blue collar and white collar and no collar. They’re rich and poor, but mostly somewhere in-between. They
come from all races and faiths.
They put their lives and futures
on the line because we, through our elected representatives, expect
them to.
Some volunteer. Others are drafted. Either way, they are accepting the most demanding responsibility of
citizenship.
It’s always been that way. If you see or speak
with any veterans tomorrow, thank them for the sacrifices they made. For the freedoms we still have. And for the patriotism they
have kept alive.
This appears in the November 10, 2005 Oak Lawn
(IL) Reporter. Mike Bates is the author of Right Angles and Other
Obstinate Truths.
