On this day in 1918 the "Great War" (what we now call World War One) came to an end. The armistice was signed in Compiegne, France on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year. Ever since some of us [admittedly an ever decreasing number] have marked the day with two minutes of silent meditation. I still remember a time when people bought poppies and wore them on their lapels to honor those who fought and died in the worst war ever.
There was a reason that this was called the "Great War." Nothing like it had ever been seen before. The casualty counts ran into the millions. Probably most horrifying was the fact that so many of those who came back from the war were permanently crippled both mentally and physicallyand their presence was a continual reminder of what war does to people. The war introduced concepts like "shell shock" and "basket case"[for quadruple amputees] into the language and was so horrific that an entire generation was determined to bear witness to it and pledged their determination that such a thing would never be allowed happen again.
And, of course, we all know how that turned out. So much for good intentions.
After World War II the name of the holiday was changed to Veterans Day and it is still observed today under that name. But let us not lose sight of its original meaning -- to commemorate those who died in a "war to end all wars."
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