Armistice Day memorialized the end in November 1918 of the Great War, which was widely advertised as “the war to end all wars.” Sadly, it became something of a prelude to what some historians have called a century of total war, and the Great War was downgraded to World War I. After World War II, in which 400,000 Americans were killed, it seemed appropriate to expand the meaning of Armistice Day.

In 1947, Raymond Weeks of Birmingham, Ala., organized a “Veterans Day” parade, and the idea spread. By 1954 President Eisenhower, who knew all too well the ways of war, signed a bill proclaiming Nov. 11 as Veterans Day and called upon Americans everywhere to work for peace.

In 1968 Veterans Day fell victim to the fad of celebrating national holidays on Mondays or Fridays to create the sacred thre

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