By Sarah Becker ©2025

Wrote poet Walt Whitman in 1867 in Old War Dreams:

In midnight sleep of many a face of anguish,

Of the look at first of the mortally wounded (of that indescribable look,)

Of the dead on their backs, with arms extended wide,

I dream, I dream, I dream…

…Long have they pass’d, faces and trenches and fields.”

Unlike the Civil War, World War I is referred to as ‘The Great War’…”the [global] war to end all wars.”

WWI ceased temporarily on November 11, 1918, terminated as per the terms of the June 28,1919, Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty was signed in France, in the Palace of Versailles. ”It was President Woodrow Wilson [1913-1921, VA-D] who first proclaimed Armistice Day on November 11, 1919.

Said President Wilson in November 1919: “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 1919 celebration was a day observed with parades, public meetings and a brief suspension of business.

An Act, approved on May 13, 1938, [52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a)] declared November 11th not only a legal holiday-but also a Day to honor WWI veterans and further promote the cause of peace and justice. The title Secretary of War was abolished; changed to Secretary of Defense in 1947 [The National Security Act of 1947].  If only Trump’s self-described Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, a 2003 Princeton University graduate with a degree in politics, understood Congress’ 20th century changes

Said Virginia Military Institute graduate [1901] and Chief of Staff of the Army George C. Marshall [1947]: “What I learned at VMI was self-control, discipline so that it was ground in. I learned also ‘the problem of handling men.”  Marshall’s historical Dodona Manor and Gardens is located at 312 E. Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia.

On September 30, 2025, Secretary of Defense Hegseth ordered all military combat roles “return to the highest ‘male standard.” The impact on the female military has yet to determined. The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps [WAAC] was established in May1942.

November 11th became the day to honor all American veterans in 1954. Public Law 380]. WWIII General and President Dwight D, Eisenhower [KS-R, 1953-1961] proclaimed the country’s first Veterans Day [Proclamation 3071, October 8, 1954].] “Whereas, in order to expand the significance and in order that a grateful nation may pay homage to the Veterans of all wars…I direct the appropriate officials of government to arrange for the display of the flag of the United States on all public buildings on Veterans Days.”

The Uniform Holiday Bill [Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250] was signed on June 28, 1968. The Bill 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, as well as stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Several states disagreed with the Bill and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates.

The first Veterans Day under the 1968 law was observed with confusion, on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance and so on September 20th, 1975, President and Michigan Republican Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 [89 Stat. 479]. The Law returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the desires of the majority of state legislatures, all major veterans service organizations, and the American people.

The restoration of, the observance of, Veterans Day on November 11 not only preserved the historical significance of the date but also helped Americans to again focus on purpose. The purpose: to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

Columnist’s Reply:  Thank you all for remaining in touch these past few months.  A reader has asked: should President Trump receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his handling of the Middle East’s murderous Gaza-Israeli conflict, On October 10, 2025, the Nobel committee awarded the Peace Prize to Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. U.S Senator Marco Rubio [FL-R] was among Machado’s earliest supporters.

As for Trump’s Middle East initiative: Yes, it is grounded in his previous administration’s Abraham Accords [September 15, 2020]. My question: to what extent is/was Trump’s son-in-law and former Senior White House Advisor Jared Kushner [January 20, 2017-January 20, 2021] involved in President Trump’s 2025 Middle East negotiations? Kushner’s primary interests before and after his White House stint were foreign policy–Kushner is a Modern Orthodox Jew–real estate including development, and publishing –New Jersey’s OBSERVER. Kushner sold the OBSERVER in 2020, and his father-in-law launched Truth Social in 2022.

About the Author: Sarah Becker started writing for The Economist while a graduate student in England. Similar publications followed. She joined the Crier in 1996 while serving on the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association Board. Her interest in antiquities began as a World Bank hire, with Indonesia’s need to generate hard currency. Balinese history, i.e. tourism provided the means. The New York Times describes Becker’s book, Off Your Duffs & Up the Assets, as “a blueprint for thousands of nonprofit managers.” A former museum director, SLAM’s saving grace Sarah received Alexandria’s Salute to Women Award in 2007.  Email abitofhistory53@gmail.com