Among the great days of national remembrance, none is more deeply moving to me than the eleventh of November, and this year presents a special centenary as we recognize the 100-year anniversary of the 1918 Armistice.
Following more than four years of fighting, the World War I Armistice went into effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, November 11, 1918. The armistice ensured a ceasefire for WWI, but it took another six months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference before finalizing the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which was signed on June 28, 1919.
It took another seven years for Armistice Day to become a national holiday in the United States, and it wasn’t until 1954 that Americans celebrated November 11 as the Veterans Day that we’ve come to know today.
This is always a special time for CalVet as we fan out across the state supporting local Veterans Day events and honor the men and women who have answered the call to duty. Together we salute veterans and service members on active duty. From the moment they repeat the oath to the day of their discharge, their life, their time belonged to America, country before all else.
So today, I hope you join me in honoring past and present members of the finest fighting force in the world, and take a moment to reflect on the past 100 years.
Sincerely,
Vito Imbasciani MD
CalVet Secretary
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