Monday, Nov. 11, will be Veterans Day, which means different things to different people.
Too many people think Veterans Day means Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday of each May and is intended to honor U.S. military personnel who lost their lives in service to our nation.
Veterans Day is intended to honor all military veterans, living and dead. And, unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day is not conducted on a particular day of the week. It is always observed on the 11th day of the 11th month each year.
Most Veterans Day observances, including the biggest ceremony here in Leelanau County, begin at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The reason for this tradition is based on the fact that World War I — known at the time as “The Great War” — officially ended precisely at that time on that date in 1918.
The following year, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as “Armistice Day,” commemorating the end of what everyone hoped was “the war to end all wars.”
Just prior to World War II, Congress made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday — a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace. Following World War II, Congress replaced the word “Armistice” with the word “Veterans” and President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954 issued the first “Veterans Day Proclamation.”
For many years, Veterans Day in Leelanau County was observed in a brief ceremony on the steps of the old county courthouse in Leland. After the county seat moved to Suttons Bay Township in 2008, the county built a new Veterans Memorial Plaza near the entrance to the Government Center campus just north of M-204.
A few years ago, cold and wet weather forced officials to move the Veterans Day observance from the outdoor Veterans Memorial Plaza to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) hall just a mile to the west on M-204. Because so many of those who attend Veterans Day observances are getting up in age and are less able to remain standing in bad weather, the observance has continued to be held indoors at the VFW hall — as it will be next week.
For many, including most federal, state and county employees, Veterans Day is a legal holiday and a day off from work. Perhaps that’s why the observance in Leelanau County is so well-attended every year.
It’s always gratifying to see so many Leelanau County residents show up at the Veterans Day observance on Nov. 11.
We hope to see you there.
