It was Tuesday morning, Nov. 12, 1918, and the two-tiered Cleveland Plain Dealer headline stretched across all eight columns, heralding the news of the previous day:

SURRENDER OF GERMANY IS COMPLETE; JOY FILLS LAND

It was a headline, echoing those of thousands of other newspapers: the headline of Armistice.

Plain Dealer Washington reporter Ben F. Allen quoted President Wilson in his opening paragraph:

"The war thus comes to an end."

An accompanying two-column story at the bottom of the page said of Cleveland:

CITY WILDLY HAPPY OVER PEACE, HAS DELIRIOUS DAY

The body copy under the headline, translated to today terms, might sound much like a sport-crazed city celebrating a national championship:

	"A raving, hysterical mob, members hugging
	and kissing each other, shouting and laughing,
	singing and crying, swept convention and the
	city's normal activities aside from dawn till
	midnight yesterday in the wildest, noisiest
	celebration the city has ever seen."

More than four years of war ended with Armistice at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson designated the observance of that date, Armistice Day.

Nov. 11 was still remembered as Armistice Day in 1941. At Arlington Cemetery, President Franklin D. Roosevelt called it "a day sacred to the memory of those who gave their lives in the war which that day ended. Our observance of this Anniversary has a particular significance in the year 1941."

The President went on: "For we are able today as we were not always able in the past to measure our indebtedness to those who died." He continued, "We know, because we face that danger once again on this day."

Less than a month later, in another speech, President Roosevelt spoke of "...a date which will live in infamy."

The date of which he spoke, of course, was December 7, 1941.

The "War to End All Wars" in 1918, didn't.

And in 1954, the name of the observance was changed. It became Veterans Day to honor veterans of all wars.

Ernie Pyle--some called him "the G.I.'s newspaperman"--wrote in the final sentences of his book, "Here Is Your War":

	"They died and thereby the rest of us can go
	on and on.  When we leave here for the next 
	shore, there is nothing we can do for the ones
	beneath the wooden crosses, except perhaps to 
	pause and murmur, 'Thanks, pal.'"

(Ernie Pyle wrote that in Tunisia in 1943. He did go on to other shores to cover other GI's. In 1945, he was killed by a sniper's bullet on an island off the coast of Okinawa. He is buried between two unknown soldiers.)

Some veterans organizations expand the special day into a week of activities, the decorating of graves of veterans, perhaps a parade or memorial service here and there.

In Canada, the day is honored as "Remembrance Day." They sell replica poppies to remember Canadian war dead.

	"In Flanders fields the poppies blow
	Between the crosses, row on row."
				"In Flanders Fields" vs. 1
				John McRae

(Footnote: In case you missed it in the Sunday funnies in the Plain Dealer, Nov. 9, and the paper is still around, check out "For Better or For Worse." It's a Canadian-
based comic strip. Mom buys a poppy; small daughter asks why; mom says to remember soldiers who died fighting the war; small daughter says, "I'm not really sure what a war is." Mom says, I know...and that, I think, is the best reason of all.")

	"We are the Dead.  Short days ago
	We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
	Loved and were loved, and now we lie
	In Flanders fields."
				"In Flanders Fields" vs. 2

In a respectful murmer:

Thanks, pal.