Letter: Reclaiming Nov. 11 as a day for peace

Posted on by Letters
Graphic by Lori Deaton

Veterans for Peace Western North Carolina will again this year assemble in remembrance and reclamation of the origins of Armistice Day.

Over 100 years ago, the world celebrated peace as a universal principle. The First World War had just ended, and nations mourning their dead collectively called for an end to all wars. Armistice Day was born and was designated as “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated.”

After World War II, the U.S. Congress decided to rebrand Nov. 11 as Veterans Day. Honoring the warrior quickly morphed into honoring the military and glorifying war. Armistice Day was flipped from a day for peace into a day for displays of militarism.

Join us at the WNC Veterans Memorial near the Buncombe County Courthouse at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, for an hour of reflections on the local influence of militarism, readings and music leading up to hearing bells ring 11 times in honoring that day 104 years ago when the world celebrated the end of “the war to end all wars.”

— Gerry Werhan
Asheville

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One thought on “Letter: Reclaiming Nov. 11 as a day for peace”

  1. Ronald w. Dawson

    The VA is one of the WORST at promoting these endless wars while wilfully failing vets when we get home. With me it was Nam and Agent O. In the Gulf itwas–and still is–oil and burn pit contamination, TBI, etc. What will it be with the next one? I would like to organize some VOCAL and active ops to correct this, and I solicit the views of any and who have any ideas on how we might get this going.

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