I came to a bit of a conflict with this week's theme. Being a 'merkin, of course Veterans Day is nothing new to me. It's a day of remembrance for all those who served in the armed forces, marked on November 11 since 1947, when WWII veteran Raymond Weeks led the first national commemoration of all those who served our country under President Dwight D Eisenhower. Prior to 1947, November 11 had been reflected as Armistice Day, having been proclaimed in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson. Armistice Day was, at that time, a day of remembrance of those who died in WWI, celebrated on the anniversary of the end of the first World War, marked by the signing of the Armistice Treaty between the Allied nations and Germany on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. While Armistice Day is still celebrated in many parts of the world, both it and Veterans Day are also celebrated at the same time as Remembrance Day, or Poppy Day, in Commonwealth countries. The day has been officially known as Veterans Day in the US since 1954. Confused yet? Don't be. November 11 has come to be known world-round as a day of remembrance for all veterans, both living and dead, who served their countries in times of conflict.
Remembrance Day is traditionally associated with the red poppy flower, which covered the graves of fallen soldiers on the fields of the second battle of Ypres, in the Flanders region of Belgium. The poem, In Flanders Fields was written by Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae in honor of his fallen friend and the other soldiers who died on that battleground. Since its first publication in 1915.
So, what's a trans-Atlantic replant to do on 11/11? Well I had to incorporate both, didn't I?
