Celebrating 100 years since the end of World War I

Ashley Goff

Staff writer

The annual Veteran’s Day celebration, which is normally held on the courthouse lawn, was held at the VFW center this year on Friday, Nov. 9 due to weather conditions. This Veteran’s Day marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. 

Stigler’s fourth grade class made an appearance at the ceremony. The class performed two songs,  “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” as well as “Proud to be an American” by Lee Greenwood. 

The speaker was Bill Bender, the current VFW commander. Bender commented, “Originally, this was called Armistice Day and it was a day that was conceived to honor the comrades that paid the ultimate price in World War I.” 

The end of World War I was Nov. 11, 1918. Congress then passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance and Nov. 11 became a national holiday in 1938. In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day. 

“They said that World War I was a great one, the war to end all wars. Sometimes, history doesn’t do us right,” Bender stated. “What the veteran does is, he gives up his life, or his way of life as he knows it, for another way of life that is strictly unknown to him and it doesn’t take him long to find out what it’s all about.”

“I could stand up here all day and go on, but it really boils down to the same thing, we simply say thank you for those who have paid the ultimate price and to the ones who are still here,” Bender commented.

The event was ended with a prayer and with a 21-gun salute.