Paul Laufersweiler honors Veterans

by David Miller

Symmes Township, Ohio – Paul Laufersweiler said he has skin in the game and mentions his grandfather and uncle. Paul recorded this message about what Veterans Day means to him last Sunday at the Veterans’ memorial plaza at the The Home of the Brave Park in Symmes Township.

Paul Laufersweiler is a ninth-grader at Loveland High School. He plays clarinet in their marching band and was recently cast in their radio play production of A Christmas Carol. His favorite classes are Honors Biology and AP Human Geography.

Paul said that if we think about the struggles Veterans have faced, we can be brave enough to overcome those we face today. He encourages us to, take time to thank veterans, “And since they did all they could to protect us let’s do what we can to help protect each other.”

This year, Veterans Day is Wednesday, November 11

According to the History Channel, Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans—living or dead—but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.

Veterans Day Facts

HISTORY.COM EDITORS

• Veterans Day occurs on November 11 every year in the United States in honor of the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918 that signaled the end of World War I, known as Armistice Day.
• In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
• In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, which moved the celebration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. The law went into effect in 1971, but in 1975 President Gerald Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11, due to the important historical significance of the date.
• Veterans Day commemorates veterans of all wars.
• Great Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World War I and World War II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November).
• In Europe, Great Britain and the Commonwealth countries it is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.
• Every Veterans Day and Memorial Day, Arlington National Cemetery holds an annual memorial service. The cemetery is home to the graves of over 400,000 people, most of whom served in the military.