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Nov. 11, 2023, marks more than a hundred years since the end of World War I. Since then, Veteran’s Day has been observed in one form or another. The holiday has gone through many changes over the years before it became the holiday we know today. According to va.gov, in November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day, marking the first anniversary of the end of World War I. “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the things from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…,” Wilson said. Nov. 11 became the national holiday known as Armistice Day beginning in 1938 but in 1954, Armistice was replaced with the word veterans to honor all veterans, not just veterans who served in World War I. In 1968, a bill was passed to move Veterans Day to be celebrated on a Monday every year in October. The new date was so confusing, according to va.gov, that President Gerald R. Ford moved it back to Nov. 11 in 1975 but it wasn’t until 1978 that Veterans Day was celebrated on its original date of Nov. 11. “The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to Nov. 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.” Many veterans call Southwest Oklahoma home, including World War II veteran Ralph Heap. He was a Sergeant and served as a crew chief. His job was to load and prepare all bombs dropped by the 722nd Squadron. He also had to detonate all unexploded bombs from cancelled missions. Heap’s eyes misted over when he talked about an accident while loading bombs. “There was three of us out there loading 2,000-pound bombs,” Heap said. “That’s a pretty good-sized bomb back then. It was the biggest we had in our ordinance. We were going to bomb German submarine pens in Toulon, France. We wanted those big bombs so we could penetrate those submarine pens and destroy them.” “Well, there was three of us out there this night. Jerry unhooked the bomb and when he did, he went to push it and roll it up on the trailer and he went backwards and the bomb rolled off the trailer and landed right on his pelvis,” he said. “This other boy and I, John Wagoner was his name, I don’t know how to this day, but we lifted that 2,000-pound bomb off of Rynders.”
