Key Takeaways:
- UAGC Military Alliance Manager Travis Burchett shares his personal perspective on Veterans Day, including what the day means to him as an Army veteran and why it matters to the UAGC community.
- Veterans Day honors all who have served. Unlike Memorial Day, which honors those who died while serving, Veterans Day recognizes veterans both living and deceased.
- The holiday traces its roots to the end of World War I. First observed as Armistice Day in 1919, it was later renamed Veterans Day and expanded to honor American veterans of all wars.
- For Burchett, the history of Veterans Day is also family history. He shares the story of his grand-uncle Tom Burchett, who served in France during World War I and recorded his experiences in a diary.
- Veterans Day has special meaning at UAGC. Veterans, retirees, and currently serving military members are part of the University’s student, faculty, and staff community, making the observance especially meaningful.
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In Observance of Veterans Day and What It Means to Me and UAGC
Each year, the United States reserves November 11 to remember and honor the service and sacrifice of veterans, past and present. Veterans Day differs from Memorial Day, which honors our war dead, in that it honors all veterans living and dead.
Let’s Talk About History
World War I was unprecedented in human history in its scale, its savagery, and its toll, with roughly 10 million soldiers dying in the war. It was the first “modern” war, with machine guns, chemical warfare, aerial warfare, and the misery of the trenches. My grand-uncle, Tom Burchett, whose father served as a Union mounted infantryman, served in Company A, 355th Infantry Regiment, 89th Division, arriving in France on September 3, 1918. He recorded his experiences in a diary that he carried with him.
Saarburg, Germany 1919
He had been a prolific diarist prior to entering combat, but by November, his diary contained only two entries, November 4 and November 11. The entry for the fourth describes “going over the top” under heavy shelling and machine gun fire, driving the Germans across the Meuse. His entry for the eleventh holds two words, “Armistice drawn,” likely reflecting exhaustion and simple relief at having survived the Great War.
Veterans Day was first observed as Armistice Day on November 11, 1919, on the one-year anniversary of the end of World War 1, which officially ended at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. In 1926, Congress adopted a resolution requesting that President Coolidge issue annual proclamations marking the day. Congress acted further in 1938, making the day a federal holiday called Armistice Day. It wasn’t until 1954 that President Eisenhower signed a bill that expanded the observance of the day from World War I veterans to all American veterans.
While the day is a federal holiday, most Americans do not know that two minutes of silence is a legal requirement, not well observed, at 2:11 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Veterans Day.
Why is Veterans Day Important to the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC)?
The student body, staff, and faculty of UAGC are full of veterans, retirees, and currently serving servicemen and servicewomen of all branches. Recognizing the honorable service of our veterans not only displays the University’s recognition of the importance of our veterans’ contributions to the establishment and development of our Nation, but it also places an emphasis on the veterans, past and present, that comprise our staff, faculty, and student body.
Why is Veterans Day important to me?
Being a Soldier was the only thing that I ever really wanted to do. Starting in Junior ROTC in high school, through Senior ROTC for my undergraduate program, being an Army officer was the ultimate goal. I believe that military service creates a bond between veterans that is an unshakable link between us.
It is important to me to pause and remember my family members who have fought and bled for this great Nation. I would like for you to take the time to say “thank you” to a veteran on Veterans Day and to reflect on everything veterans have done to make this the greatest Nation the world has ever known.
Are you a veteran seeking a flexible college degree? Learn more about how UAGC supports military-connected students, especially veterans, and talk to an advisor today!
