WEDNESDAY November 11, 2026
Veterans Day
Blessed be the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle—
Psalm 144:1
Today is Veterans Day. It was formerly called Armistice Day. On November 11, 1918, an armistice was signed between Germany and the Allied powers, ending World War 1––an agreement designated to take effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
The word armistice has a dual meaning from the new Latin word armistitum which combines the verb sisiere meaning “to make stand, halt, or bring to a standstill,” with arma, meaning “implements of war, weapons.” In short, it is a truce––a temporary stopping of open acts of warfare, by an agreement, between opponents.
President Wilson established Armistice Day on November 11, 1919, to commemorate the first anniversary of the 1918 Armistice that ended World War 1. It was declared a national holiday in the United States to honor those who served. It was renamed to Veterans Day by Congress in 1954.
Veterans Day now celebrates the service of all U.S. Military veterans in wartime and in peace. The United States Congress passed legislation on June 4, 1926, which includes these words:
...it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations....
War is terrifying. It causes untold misery, death and destruction. It is good for nations to work toward peace, but the world is still very unstable. Wars still exist among many nations today. We must continue to pray for all the men and women who continue to fight for freedom.
Never before have men crossed the seas to a foreign land to fight for a cause which they did not pretend was peculiarly their own, but knew was the cause of humanity and of mankind.
~President Woodrow Wilson~
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