. . . The deep meaning of that armistice remained in the
minds of World War I veterans a half century later
when the U.S. Congress, in one of its clueless moves,
changed the observance of the federal holiday from
November 11th to a certain Monday of October. Me-
morial Day, Veterans Day and Washington's Birth-
day were all moved on the calendar in order to create
three-day federal holiday weekends.
Because of the war that had followed that “War to
End All Wars,” President Eisenhower had signed a
law that broadened the meaning of “Armistice Day”
by making it “Veterans Day” in 1954. But in the
minds of the World War I generation, the memory of
that armistice still held sway.

Page 73
Oh Holy Night

So, in the late 1960s when Congress changed the
date, I can still remember my grandmother adamant-
ly asserting that Armistice Day was November 11th,
NOT the fourth Monday of October. The thousands
of soldiers who, like my grandfather, had served in
France and other lands would not hear of such a
change.
So, South Dakota and Mississippi refused to follow
the federal lead. And one by one, the other states be-
gan reverting back to the November 11th observance.
And the politicians received an earful. The World War
I generation was still alive and well; remembering
and speaking up. They again took back lost ground.
The end result was that one decade after changing
the date, Congress, in 1978, restored the observance
to November 11th.
The height and depth of the longing for an end to
that bloody war was revealed in the celebrations that
broke out on November 7, 1918. Following a reply to
the German government from President Wilson, on
that date, the Chief of Staff of the German Army, von
Hindenburg, sent a telegram to the Allied Supreme
Commander seeking a date for negotiating that ar-
mistice. A mistaken news report declared that the
armistice had been signed. And despite all attempts
by capitols and headquarters to correct the mistake,
celebrations broke out around the world.
Newspaper “Extras” proclaimed “Peace.” Workers and
students poured into the streets with whistles and
bells and anything that could make noise. Church
bells pealed. Parades processed. Jubilation went un-
quenched. And it started all over again, four days lat-
er, on the 11th of November.