The official end of the war was declared at the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919. World War I demolished parts of Europe and inflicted massive casualties, yet some predicted that it would be the war to end all wars.

Lingering grievances from this war would partially fuel a more devastating World War II, but for now, peace was at hand. Participating nations began to pick up the pieces and honor those who had fought to strengthen liberty and stability.

Armistice Day (Remembrance Day to some U.S. allies) became an official holiday in 1938 through an act of Congress, which President Franklin Roosevelt endorsed. Following World War II and the Korean War, veterans fought to enlarge the significance of Armistice Day to include all veterans who had made sacrifices while serving their country.

President Dwight Eisenhower and Congress authorized changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day on Nov. 11, 1954, to honor veterans of all the conflicts the United States had entered. Consequently, Veterans Day is more encompassing than Memorial Day, which primarily honors our fallen warriors.

"On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores to preserve our heritage of freedom and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of protecting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain," Eisenhower said.

During the Revolutionary War against England, principled colonists signed on to the noble mission of independence and their God-given right to human freedom. From 1861 to 1865, Confederate and Union soldiers fought furiously in an epic Civil War. A Union victory forged greater equality for emancipated slaves and helped in the restoration of a fractured nation.

Countless soldiers fought under brutal conditions in World War I and lost their lives in the trenches of Flanders Fields. In World War II, millions of allies engaged the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) across North Africa, Europe, and the Pacific Ocean, and finally prevailed against their atrocities. During Korea's "forgotten war," allied forces battled the communists in the bitter cold at historic landmarks such as Chosin Reservoir and Heartbreak Ridge.