Why we stop on the eleventh
The eleventh hour
The fighting of the First World War did not end with a treaty. It ended with an armistice, which took effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month: 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918. The formal peace came later. For the men in the line and the families at home, 11 November was the day the guns stopped.
From Armistice Day to Veterans Day
In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first commemoration of Armistice Day. Congress made 11 November a legal holiday by an act approved on 13 May 1938, a day dedicated to world peace and to honoring veterans of the First World War.
The Second World War and the Korean War followed, and millions more Americans served. On 1 June 1954, Public Law 380 replaced the word "Armistice" with "Veterans", making the day one to honor American veterans of all wars. That October, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day proclamation.
For a few years the date moved. The Uniform Holiday Bill of 1968 shifted Veterans Day to a Monday in October, first observed on 25 October 1971, which caused real confusion. In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed a law returning the observance to 11 November, beginning in 1978. It has stayed there ever since, whatever day of the week it falls on.
Veterans Day and Memorial Day are not the same
The two days are easy to confuse, but they mean different things. Memorial Day, in May, honors those who died while serving. Veterans Day honors everyone who served honorably, in wartime or peacetime. The Department of Veterans Affairs notes that it is largely intended to thank living veterans for their service.
So on 11 November the best thing you can do is simple: thank the veterans you know, and ask them about their service if they want to talk. (The VA also points out the correct spelling: Veterans Day, with no apostrophe.)
How to trace a sailor's ship
Many families have a photo, a discharge paper or a name on a cap, and want to know more. Here is where to start.
1. Find the ship's history. The Naval History and Heritage Command publishes the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS) online. It has more than 10,000 ship histories. Search by ship name and hull number, such as "Hornet (CV-8)". DANFS tells you where the ship went and what she did, so you can place your sailor's service in context.
2. Request the service record. Official military personnel files are held by the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. Veterans and next of kin can request them free of charge, online through eVetRecs or by mailing or faxing a Standard Form 180. Records become open to the general public 62 years after a service member leaves the military. A fee may apply for those archival requests.
3. Check the muster rolls. Navy muster rolls list the men aboard a ship. According to the National Archives, World War II–era muster rolls are available online through Ancestry.com, in a database called "U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938–1949". The originals are held by the National Archives at College Park, Maryland.
4. Read the deck logs. Ship deck logs are held by the National Archives in the records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel (Record Group 24). Logs come to the Archives from NHHC 30 years after they are completed, and some have been digitized. A deck log can tell you where a ship was on a particular day.
5. Look for war diaries and action reports. For World War II, war diaries and action reports are among the Navy records in Record Group 38 at the National Archives. Search the National Archives Catalog by ship name to see what has been digitized.
Take your time. Records are sometimes incomplete, and names can be misspelled. Each piece you find adds to the picture, and it may be worth more to your family than anything you could buy.
If you're looking for something to wear on the day, our Fleet Icons are a quiet place to start.
Harborborne is an independent brand and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Navy or Department of Defense.
