Veterans Day remembered past, present, future Published Nov. 8, 2011 By Howard E. Halvorsen 7th Air Force Historian KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the first of the World Wars, known then as the "Great War." During the war, the U.S. Army Air Service dropped 138 tons of bombs and was credited with shooting down 765 enemy aircraft and 76 balloons. The following year, Nov. 11 was commemorated as Armistice Day and it became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Congress in 1954 changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans' Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars. Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World Wars I and II on or near Nov. 11. Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday on the second Sunday of November. It is common in Europe, Britain and the Commonwealth countries to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every Nov. 11. Meanwhile, in the United States an official wreath-laying ceremony is held each Veterans' Day at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. This year on "11/11/11" a grateful nation will pay tribute to all veterans who have served honorably in war or peacetime with parades and events held nationwide. Thanks to all for your service.