This day, which in the US became known as Veterans' Day, originally was the day of Armistice, the day when guns of World War I finally well silent after over four years of slaughter. It is estimated that 17 million people died, on the battlefield as well as from starvation and disease.
The war war fought primarily across Europe, under different conditions - though the brunt of the fighting was on the Western Front, between Germany and the Allied Forces. The included the US forces that joined late but played an important part in securing the Allied victory. The US paid a heavy price as about 177,000 Americans lost their lives in that war and many more came home with grievous wounds, physical and psychological. Their plight was part of the reason why the day this war ended became Veterans' Day.
The war on Western Front became a symbol of heroism and misery, sacrifice and futility. The front lines largely stayed stationary. Thousands of men would often fight and die in an attempt to budge the enemy resistance - but hardly succeed. New forces would come as reinforcements, and on and on the grinder would grind. By the time it was over, millions of soldiers would be in their graves and all European wealth would be squandered, almost to the dollar.
The horror of this was was why it was dubbed "the war to end all wars". That was the hope. That hope ended up being false.
It is bewildering to really ponder it. The heroes whose energy was for naught. The wealth that was turned into shrapnel. The misery of communism that at least in part is rooted in that war. The misery that converts wealth and courage into misery and despair.
So how do we end wars? Well, every aggressor needs to convince their soldiers to attack. And who wants to be viewed as an aggressor? Individually - very few of us. Hence you need propaganda to convince people that aggression is defence and pacifism is cowardice. In short, you need a lie. So how do you stop a lie? You stop it with the truth.
And another idea is, universal responsibility. When no one is above the law, the ultimate fraud involved in war mongering become a crime few would want to be charged with. And a few political hacks rotting in jail beats a million dead young men any day.
it has been one hundred years to that day. The wars have not ended yet. But we can work on that which indeed is the best way to honor veterans, dead and living.
Sources
Veterans Day Facts
History Channel
World War 1: A Comprehensive Overview of the Great War
History On The Net
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