Expats observe Veterans Day

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In Costa Rica, the Escazú Christian Fellowship, now known as English Christian Fellowship will host a virtual service
to commemorate Veterans Day and Remembrance Day - A.M. Costa Rica illustrative photo -

Published Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Expats observe Veterans Day

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Veterans Day, observed annually on Nov. 11, is a tribute to military veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Not to be confused with Memorial Day, which honors those who died while in service, Veterans Day honors all military veterans, including those still alive.

Today is Remembrance Day, which also honors veterans in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other Commonwealth countries. This day is also recognized as a public holiday in France, Belgium and Poland.

In Costa Rica, the Escazú Christian Fellowship, now known as English Christian Fellowship will host a virtual service to commemorate Veterans Day and Remembrance Day, by Rev. Donald Ridder.

People are invited to a scheduled Zoom meeting. at 10:45 a.m. today at the Zoom link using the meeting ID: 946 8089 7190 and passcode: 524527. More information can be reached at the church Facebook page.

The service included the ceremonial laying of wreaths, reflections on the significance of the day and the traditional minute of silence to honor the fallen.

The U.S. Embassy and Consular Section will remain closed today due to the commemoration of Veterans Day. The diplomatic headquarters will be open to the public again Thursday at the normal time of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The British Embassy in Costa Rica updated its Facebook page with a photo of poppies, the flower that is the icon of the holiday because of the poem “In Flanders Field.”

Veterans Day, originally celebrated as Armistice Day, was first ordered on Nov. 11, 1919, by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson a year after the end of World War I. The purpose of Armistice Day was to honor the fallen soldiers of The Great War for their sacrifice and bravery. Seven years later in 1926, Congress adopted a resolution requesting President Calvin Coolidge to issue annual proclamations on Nov. 11, making Armistice Day a legal holiday.

In 1945, World War II veteran Raymond Weeks had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans rather than just the ones who died in World War I. He led a delegation to Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, who was all for the idea. Weeks then conducted the first Veterans Day celebration in 1945 in Alabama and every year until his death in 1985. In 1982, he was honored by President Ronald Reagan with the Presidential Citizenship Medal. Weeks was also named the “Father of Veterans Day” by Elizabeth Dole.

Ed Rees, the U.S. representative from Emporia, Kansas, presented a bill establishing the holiday through to Congress. Eisenhower, who was now president and also from Kansas, signed the bill into law May 26, 1954, eight and a half years after Weeks held the first Veteran’s Day. A few weeks later, on June 1, Congress amended the bill replacing “Armistice” with “Veterans.” The National Veterans Award was also created in 1954, first received by Rees for his support in making Veterans Day a federal holiday. Though the holiday is currently and was originally celebrated on Nov. 11, the day was moved to the fourth Monday of October in 1971 due to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. However, only seven years later in 1978, it was moved back to Nov. 11.