The eleventh month, on the eleventh day, at the eleventh hour… 11.11.11… Armistice Day was first held in 1919, one year after the war’s end, as President Woodrow Wilson commemorated the end of the Great War. That same year, thirty states made November 11th a holiday and by 1938 the entire country had done so. On June 1, 1954 the name was changed to Veterans Day.
World War I ushered in a kind of warfare the world had never before known. Casualty numbers were mind-numbing. Trenches, poisonous gas, heavy artillery, chaos, confusion, and America’s young men being sent to fight overseas in foreign lands. Yes, this was an unsettling time and many American citizens were not pleased with their government.
Civic organizations formed. The Four-Minute Men were the local propaganda group. The Red Cross encouraged women to get involved. A national movement to support ‘Uncle Sam’ in his fight against foreign enemies began in earnest. War bonds were issued. Everyone with influence jumped on the band wagon to promote the war effort.
Many Bates County men were eligible for the Draft. Lists are available at the Museum. Today’s photos include some of the artifact documents in the Museum’s collection. Look at them and consider your ancestors. On Wednesday, November 11, 2020, at 11:00 am take a moment to reflect on those early years of the 20th century and ponder these early years of the 21st century we are now living in. God Bless America.
Courtesy of Mid America Live
