LINK Letters From An American
Heather Cox Richardson
In 1918, at the end of four years of World War I’s devastation, leaders negotiated for the guns in Europe to fall silent once and for all on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. That armistice was not technically the end of the war, which came with the Treaty of Versailles. Leaders signed that treaty on June 28, 1919, exactly five years to the day after the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand set off the conflict. But the armistice declared on November 11 held, and Armistice Day became popularly known as the day “The Great War,” which killed at least 40 million people, ended.
In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson commemorated Armistice Day, saying that Americans would reflect on the anniversary of the armistice “with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…."
In 1926, Congress passed a resolution noting that since November 11, 1918, “marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed,” the anniversary of that date “should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations.”
In 1938, Congress made November 11 a legal holiday to be dedicated to world peace.
But neither the “war to end all wars” nor the commemorations of it, ended war.
Just three years after Congress made Armistice Day a holiday, American armed forces were fighting a Second World War, even more devastating than the first. Then, in 1950, American forces went to Korea.
In 1954, to honor the armed forces of those later conflicts, Congress amended the law creating Armistice Day by striking out the word “armistice” and putting “veterans” in its place. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, himself a veteran who had served as the supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe and who had become a five-star general of the Army before his political career, later issued a proclamation asking Americans to observe Veterans Day: “[L]et us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.”
Central to Eisenhower’s vision, and to the American vision for world peace after World War II, was the idea of a rules-based international order. Rather than trying to push their own boundaries and interests whenever they could gain advantage, countries agreed to abide by a series of rules that promoted peace, economic cooperation, and security. The new system provided places for countries to discuss their differences—like the United Nations, founded in 1945—and mechanisms for them to protect each other, like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), established in 1949, which has a mutual defense pact that says any attack on a NATO country will be considered an attack on all of them.
In the years since, these agreements have multiplied and been deepened and broadened to include more countries and more ties. While the U.S. has sometimes failed to honor them, their central theory remains important: no country should be able to attack its neighbor, slaughter its people, and steal its lands at will. It is a concept that has preserved decades of relative peace compared to the horrors of the early twentieth century, and it is one the current administration is working hard to reestablish as autocrats increasingly reject the idea of a rules-based international order and claim the right to act however they wish.
In the modern world, Ukraine’s battle to throw off a Russian invasion is a defense of the rules-based international system. Today, Ukrainians celebrated as Ukrainian soldiers forced Russian invaders out of the southern city of Kherson in one of the Ukrainian regions Russian president Vladimir Putin claimed for Russia just a month ago.
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a televised message for people in the United States today:
“On behalf of all Ukrainians, Happy Veterans Day and thank you for your service.
“For almost 250 years the men and women of the United States armed forces have prevailed against tyranny, often against great odds. Your example inspires Ukrainians today to fight back against Russian tyranny. Special thanks to the many American veterans who have volunteered to fight in Ukraine, and to the American people for the amazing support you have given Ukraine. With your help, we have stunned the world and are pushing Russian forces back. Victory will be ours. God bless America and Slava Ukraini.”
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13 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I also lost most sight in my right eye because of Nazis ,had a fever blister shape of an arrow pointing at my eye that was hurting.. and they said ...oh it's not that....3 years later ...oh it's that ... And they fucking experimented on me for 3 years!! Unbelievable pain!!!! You have no fucking idea!!!!!!!!!!!I was 9yo!!! They could of known it had to do with the fever blister,they could of given medication for it ,but no not till 3 years later after the cornea in my eye scarred over !!!!
laidback1
Level 6
Nov 18, 2022
0
Actually all I needed was licorice root !!! Wish I realized it when I was younger, wish my parents had a better education,they would of easily of figured it out
You might be blind in one eye, but you are braindead on both sides of your brain. No fixing that either Mr Douchebag.
@laidback1 Responding seriously with the stupid, that would be you, is always a waste of time and energy. The other problem with you stupid people is you don't know you are stupid because you are stupid. Funny how that works. Speaking of insults, that is all you have done on here. You are not only stupid, you are a hypocrite. 
I'm sure the Ukrainians were sweating the US mid-terms. If republicans had taken over as they had thought aid to Ukrainian would have been put into jeopardy. We are not at war but helping another country deal with a miserable dictator who cares little for world security. This was the same tactic we used at the start of WWII, lend lease. The Lend Lease also helped the soviets defeat Hitler. Too many (Russians) forget that fact.
JackPedigo
Level 9
Nov 13, 2022
2
With US troops on the ground in Ukraine, third world war is on.
Castlepaloma
Level 8
Nov 13, 2022
2
As far as I have heard, on the Ukrainian side, Ukrainians are doing all the fighting.
(With the exception of private citizens from a number of countries, who have enlisted on their own to help fight off the Russian agressor.)
We have not engaged in a necessary war since WWII. We have not been in a war since then where
our shores were were being threatened. N. Korea was a tie. Veitnam was a loss. The first Irag war was just to try out our new weapons. The second lraq war based on a trumped up reason, totally fucked up the Middle East, and no one ever wins in Afghanistan. Our sole victory was over the mighty power, Grenada. Thousands of American lives, civilian lives, and billions and billions of dollars, which could have been used for the betterment of this country, have been wasted. We are by far the most waring country on the planet since our country's founding. As former President Carter pointed out before we withdrew from Afghanistan, we have been at war in all but 16 years of our history as a nation. Very sad.
Sticks48
Level 9
Nov 12, 2022
3
I generally agree with all of that, and yet am convinced that supporting Ukraine IS the right thing to do now
@Flyingsaucesir @sticks48 I agree, and i agree with @Flyingsaucesir that we need to support the Ukraine.
@HippieChick58 fucking traitor
@Flyingsaucesir why don't you go over there and do the Hitler salute as you kill Russian children cause like they say have to kill the children to stop Russia, gotta kill em all ... That the people you support... Was right on mainstream media of the Hitler salute,you probably missed it ,or ignored it .. and a video of them saying to.kill Russian children.. ect.. you go on over there and stop being a coward .. you probably laugh at people who can't get a transplant because they aren't vaccinated.. you belong over there .. go on ..
Russian Tyranny . . . . Donbass Anne-Laure Bonnel
Archeus_Lore
Level 7
Nov 12, 2022
0
Fight neo fascism everywhere! Support Ukraine!
Flyingsaucesir
Level 8
Nov 12, 2022
2
Fucking traitor, retarded fuck . you don't have a clue.. billions that could of helped people was sent to them . Everyone fucking hates you .. all.the fucking homeless people, people trying to stay warm m ,fuck
you .. you're a fucking fascist,you dumb fuck supporting give weapons to Nazis.. fuck you
@laidback1 Wow, not really laid back at all, are you?
You obviously fail to understand who the agressor is in this current situation. Let me help you with that:
Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine.
@Flyingsaucesir Ukraine bombed ethnic Russians! World war two fucked up the territory!!! And you're so fucking retarded that you can't fucking comprehend that .. that's why there's Nazis in Ukraine , you're so fucking stupid I Fucking hate you ,I hate that you won't research you just fucking go a long with whatever the media sells
@Flyingsaucesir you're a sick person
@Flyingsaucesir laid back when not fucked with
@laidback1 Ain't it wonderful what you can do with Photoshop? 
@Flyingsaucesir ain't it great what "make-believe" can do ... You fucking retarded mother fuckers..they hail Hitler on mainstream media, you stupid fuxk
@Flyingsaucesir if the CDC website told the truth about something you'd say that their website got hacked.. you'll make up any fucking excuse to keep your fucking narrative
@Flyingsaucesir you won't investigate,research . No you're just a little bitch
@Flyingsaucesir you are the exact reason why the world is in danger, you refuse to investigate and you make poor decisions and it fucks everything up
@laidback1 Tell me, what meds that you are supposed to be taking are you not taking?
The history of war is viewed in many ways but just read Dalton Trumbo's book Johnny Got His Gun or watch the movie based on the book.
Until we can over come the military industrial complexes greed, the influence on elected officials and the lies our elected tell to justify their actions we are stuck in this endless cycle of killing and then honoring those who died and those who served/serve.
silverotter11
Level 9
Nov 12, 2022
8
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