Veterans Day is an annual holiday meant to honor individuals who have served in the armed forces. Originally, Veterans Day was named Armistice Day to commemorate the armistice reached on Nov. 11, 1918, that ended World War I.
The most famous of all Veterans Day observances is held at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The observance is held at 11 a.m., the same time of the signing of the armistice to end World War I. The service includes two minutes of silence, and the president placing a wreath at the tomb. All Americans nationwide are encouraged to display the flag and recognize U.S. veterans with proper ceremony. Emporia, Kansas, the home of Alvin J. King, is home to one of the more famous Veterans Day ceremonies. On Oct. 31, 2003, Emporia was recognized by Congress as the “Founding City of the Veterans Day Holiday.”
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This year there is a new Veterans Day experience happening in Washington DC. Starbucks, HBO, and Chase are sponsoring a free, 3-hour concert titled The Concert for Valor. It will be held on the National Mall at 7:00pm.
The lineup is amazing. Highlighting the show are— Bruce Springsteen, Carrie Underwood, and Jennifer Hudson.The audience will also see performances by The Black Keys, Dave Grohl, Eminem, Metallica, Rihanna and the Zac Brown Band. And, if that is not enough, there will be walk-on appearances from Bob Woodruff, Bryan Cranston, George Lopez, Jamie Foxx, Jack Black and John Oliver.
Will Smith, Meryl Streep, and Oprah Winfrey will appear via video and will give special tributes that will be aired during the event.
This free event is expected to attract up to 800,000 people. And, it looks like the weather will co-operate with only a 10% chance of rain!
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The unofficial but well-known flower of Veterans Day is the poppy. This first became the symbol to remember fallen soldiers after John McCrae wrote a poem called In Flanders Fields on May 3, 1915. McCrae was a Canadian doctor and Lieutenant Colonel in the Canadian army. He wrote about how millions of poppy flowers grew in the Flanders field, where fallen troops had been buried.
In Flanders Fields
by Colonel John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
After this poem was published, veterans groups began to adopt it as a sign of remembrance and respect for those who died, and even those who served in World War I. Today, the flower has come to be a symbol of reverence for any person who served in the forces during any war. The poppy is often worn and distributed on Veterans Day.
While Veterans Day used to be a day for remembering fallen soldiers in past wars, it is now a day that is set aside for reflection, honor and remembrance for those soldiers who served and died, soldiers who served and lived, and those who are still serving today. Veterans Day activities take special care to give thanks to veterans that are still living.
What is Clay Aiken doing this Veterans Day? Wherever he is or whatever he is doing, I am sure he will acknowledge the importance of the day and help teach his young son about patriotism.
After reading this post, I thought about who in my family had served in the military. I grew up during WWII and watched my 3 uncles and my dad serve at that time. I'm thankful that they all returned safely from combat. Later my brother and sister-in-law enlisted and they, too, served without harm. I just love watching Clay sing this song and the soldiers joining their voices with his. I do remember poppies being passed out on street corners on Veterans Day in my home town many years ago.
Love that video, thanks Musicfan.