Veterans Day - Monday

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War."

Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.

History of Veterans Day

However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words:

 "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m.

The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words

:

“Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and

“Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and

“Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day."

Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars

Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first "Veterans Day Proclamation" which stated: "In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.”

President Eisenhower signed HR7786, changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day. On that same day, President Eisenhower sent a letter to the Honorable Harvey V. Higley, Administrator of Veterans' Affairs (VA), designating him as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee.

In 1958, the White House advised VA's General Counsel that the 1954 designation of the VA Administrator as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee applied to all subsequent VA Administrators.

Since March 1989 when VA was elevated to a cabinet level department, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has served as the committee's chairman.

The Uniform Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to ensure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates.

The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the desires of the overwhelming majority of state legislatures, all major veterans’ service organizations and the American people.

Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

Non-essential federal government offices are closed. No mail is delivered. All federal workers are paid for the holiday; those who are required to work on the holiday sometimes receive wages for that day in addition to holiday pay. The holiday is often celebrated by having a ravioli meal. This tradition dates back to the ending days of World War I when President Woodrow Wilson, aware that the returning soldiers would be longing for home cooked meals, invited 2,000 soldiers to the White House and helped his staff chefs cook them ravioli, which had just become a mainstay in mainstream American kitchens due to commercial canning.[8] In his Armistice Day address to Congress, Wilson was sensitive to the psychological toll of the lean War years: "Hunger," he remarked, "breeds madness."

Veterans Day Recognition Ceremony November 8

McHenry County College will host a Veterans Day Recognition Ceremony beginning with patriotic music by the MCC Concert Band and Chorus on Thursday, November 8 at 9 a.m. in the College’s Gym/Multi-purpose Room in Building A, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake.

The event’s keynote speaker will be McHenry County College accounting instructor, Don Curfman, a retired Navy lieutenant commander. Curfman joined the Navy in 1968 following a long family tradition.

He served over 10 years of enlisted service on several ships and aviation squadrons, including serving in the Vietnam conflict. After completing his bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, Don received a commission in the Navy Supply Corps and served aboard several aircraft carriers and naval air stations throughout the world.

He earned his Master of Business Administration from Chaminade University in Honolulu, Hawaii.

In 1994, after 26 years of service, Curfman retired from the Navy with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. His final assignment was to assist in closing down the Naval Air Station in Glenview. He was awarded the third-highest peacetime medal for his outstanding naval service.

In 1991, Curfman started teaching accounting at McHenry County College and was hired full time in 1994. He has served as chairperson of the MCC Accounting Department for over 15 years. He also helped to start the MCC Veterans Day Recognition program and is the faculty advisor for the Military Students and Veterans Club (XGI). 

He was chosen as Faculty of the Year by his peers in 2005 and was a National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award winner in 2011.

Curfman is a member of the Loyal Order of the Moose and has served on the Board of Directors for the McHenry County Federal Credit Union for almost 20 years. He is a lifetime member of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Fleet Reserve Association (FRA) and American Legion. He is a strong supporter of Honor Flight for World War II veterans. Curfman is a native of Portland, Oregon.

The 2012 Veterans Day Ceremony will also include an address from Micah Barcus, vice president of MCC’s Military and Student Veterans Association, as well as posting of the colors by the Combined Service Color Guard, and bagpipe music.

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served following the program. For more information, contact the MCC Veterans Day Committee at (815) 479-7635.

Veterans Day Program At McHenry County College

McHenry County College will host a Veterans Day Recognition program beginning with patriotic music by MCC Concert Band and Chorus at 9 a.m. tomorrow, November 11 in the Gym/Multi-Purpose Room in Building A at the College, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake.

Speakers will include World War II veteran Vaughn Heidenreich, of Woodstock and Sharon Slover, director of Education and Careers with the Special Education District of McHenry County (SEDOM).

 Slover won an essay contest that earned her a spot to ride on a motorcycle to Washington D.C. to visit the Vietnam War Memorial.

Heidenreich enlisted in the Air Force in November, 1942. He was a lead bombardier in the war, flying 22 combat missions. In 1945, he was honorably discharged as a First Lieutenant and is a life member of the 8th Air Force, the 457th Bomb Group, and the VFW.

After WWII, he was employed at Jewel Home Shopping Service in Barrington. While working, he also attended Lake Forest College of Industrial Management.  He retired after 44 years with the company as director of transportation and fleet operations. His post-retirement career included 21 years of teaching driver safety programs.

Slover’s poignant essay earned her the second spot (a place usually empty—reserved for fallen soldiers) on a ride with the National Veterans Awareness Organization. On the back of the 2003 Harley-Davidson touring anniversary edition motorcycle, Slover rode to Washington, D.C., to pay respects to soldiers at the Vietnam War Memorial. She will share her profound experiences as a result of this journey.

The Veterans Day ceremony will also include a posting of the colors by the Combined Service Color Guard and bagpipe music.

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided following the program. For more information, contact MCC Veterans Day Committee at (815) 479-7635.

Veterans Day

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War."

Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.

History of Veterans Day

However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words:

 "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m.

The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words:

“Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and

“Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and

“Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day."

Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first "Veterans Day Proclamation" which stated: "In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.”

President Eisenhower signed HR7786, changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day. On that same day, President Eisenhower sent a letter to the Honorable Harvey V. Higley, Administrator of Veterans' Affairs (VA), designating him as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee.

In 1958, the White House advised VA's General Counsel that the 1954 designation of the VA Administrator as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee applied to all subsequent VA Administrators.

Since March 1989 when VA was elevated to a cabinet level department, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has served as the committee's chairman.

The Uniform Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to ensure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates.

The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the desires of the overwhelming majority of state legislatures, all major veterans’ service organizations and the American people.

Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

Non-essential federal government offices are closed. No mail is delivered. All federal workers are paid for the holiday; those who are required to work on the holiday sometimes receive wages for that day in addition to holiday pay. The holiday is often celebrated by having a ravioli meal. This tradition dates back to the ending days of World War I when President Woodrow Wilson, aware that the returning soldiers would be longing for home cooked meals, invited 2,000 soldiers to the White House and helped his staff chefs cook them ravioli, which had just become a mainstay in mainstream American kitchens due to commercial canning.[8] In his Armistice Day address to Congress, Wilson was sensitive to the psychological toll of the lean War years: "Hunger," he remarked, "breeds madness."

Tomorrow--A Day To Honor American Veterans Of All Wars

Thursday is Armistice Day, now called Veterans Day to honor American veterans of all wars.

On this day precisely at 11 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery the Veteran's Day ceremony will begin with a wreath laid at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The ceremony will continue inside the Memorial Amphitheater with a parade of colors by veterans' organizations and remarks from dignitaries. This special ceremony is intended to honor and thank all who served in the United States Armed Forces.

Why precisely 11 a.m. and on November 11? World War 1 fighting ceased when an armistice between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. World War 1 was know at the time as "The Great War" and regarded as the war to end all wars.

Armistice Day was commemorated to honor those who died during the war and to be a day dedicated to the cause of world peace. In 1954 the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor American veterans of all wars. Veteran's Day is celebrated Nov. 11 no matter what day of the week it falls on.

Special Veterans Day Recognition Ceremony November 11 At MCC

McHenry County College will host a Veterans Day Recognition program beginning with patriotic music by the MCC Concert Band and Chorus at 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 11 in the Multipurpose Room in Building A at the College, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake.

Keynote speaker will be Suzanne Casteel, Air Force Reserves master sergeant, who recently returned from Afghanistan where she served in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She served in the Air Force from 1990 to 2000, where her duties included customs chief and criminal investigator in Saudi Arabia. She was honored for her service overseas in criminal investigations.

Since 2000, Casteel has been in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, assigned to the 375th Security Forces Squadron at Scott Air Force Base, located in St. Clair County, near Belleville. She was activated and deployed to Kandahar Airfield, where she served as superintendent of criminal investigations for Kandahar and military bases and camps in southern Afghanistan.

She is employed as area manager in Asset Protection for AT&T. She earned an associate’s and bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and law enforcement, respectively. She earned an MBA with a concentration in organizational psychology and development. She describes her most important job as a civilian is mother of her 10-year-old son.

Special guest speaker will include Paul Wheeler, chairman of MCC’s Military and Student Veterans Association. Wheeler is a former U.S Navy Petty Officer, 2nd class and his military career included deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He also participated in Tsunami Relief for Malaysia.

In addition to patriotic music and the speakers, the Veterans Day Ceremony will include a posting of the colors by the Combined Service Color Guard and bagpipe music.

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided following the program. For more information, contact MCC Veterans Day Committee at (815) 479-7635.