Here at Educators Insurance Agency, we recognize veterans among both our employees and members. While we honor members who support and educate Massachusetts children, we especially appreciate the willingness to serve and sacrifice that our veterans exhibit. Their contributions have a lasting impact in the world, even as families work to shoulder their sacrifices at home. Their love of country and commitment to each other is something we celebrate every year on November 11th, the anniversary of the 1918 armistice between Germany and the Allied nations that marked the end of fighting during World War I.
The following year, in November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed Armistice Day a national holiday, marked by “pride in the heroism” of our soldiers, and “gratitude for the victory.” In 1938, Congress formalized Armistice Day as the legal holiday — but that changed in 1954. In the wake of World War II, they amended the name to be “Veterans Day,” to honor all American veterans, regardless of the war or conflict.
About 30,000 of the remaining 1.5 million American World War II veterans live in Massachusetts, of the nearly 1 million who returned to the Bay State after the war. Massachusetts participated with characteristic patriotism, as nearly 20% of the state’s population served in the military during the war.
Today, we honor veterans of both World Wars, along with those of the Vietnam Conflict, Korean War, Desert Storm and the present Iraqi, Afghanistan and other conflicts around the world. More than 37,000 women and men from Massachusetts have served in Iraq and Afghanistan; with our active Reserve and National Guard communities, there are more than 13,000 children in Massachusetts who currently have a parent serving in the military. As we work to ease their sacrifice, we honor the service and contributions of their parents, grandparents and family members.