Why is Veteran's Day the 11th day of the 11th month?

Lest we forget. It was originally Armistice Day declaring an end to World War I, and is now a day designated to remember our veterans:







When I first think of Veteran's Day, this is who I think of first:

My grandpa, Robert Cox who is frequently asked by schools to come and speak (he's speaking at a few today). Chris also has a great-uncle that was a paratrooper that fought in the Battle of the Bulge, with stories that keep us captivated for hours listening to him.

I think that as Americans we forget that there are other veterans for other nations. Though they didn't fight for our country, they sacrificed for a better world. While Chris was living in Paisley, Scotland, he would pass by this war memorial every day located near his flat.
On one side of the bronze knight soldiers in WWI uniforms look like their trudging with a plaque on the stone pedestal of fallen men and women from Paisley. On the other side WWII soldiers are depicted with another memorial plaque.

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While student teaching 7th grade Social Studies, one of my last sections to cover before completing my semester was World War I, so I strove to make a lasting impression on my 13 year-olds and explain WHY we recognize Veteran's Day.

I'm all for making history come alive. It's one thing to read about trenchwarfare and the impact war had on population, but I decided to re-enact it in the classroom.

We moved the desks aside in which the students hid behind their "trench," grenades and missiles were wadded up paper between each side, and then the nations (aka students) cleaned up after war and moved everything back.

Note: results were AWESOME and extremely successful because the students were given clear guidelines and knew enough about the section for proper re-enactment "drama"

We then concluded with a National Geographic clip making connections between WWI and J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy since Return of the King had just come out in theaters right before I began my student teaching.

I could see things began to click, so I concluded with info on the first remembrance of the 11th day of the 11th month from the "war to end all wars."

If you get a chance today, thank a veteran for what they've done. It's through remembrance that their sacrifices haven't been in vain.