In anticipation of Veterans Day on November 11, 2024, Blake Watson is providing six short stories from his recently published book, Kansas and Kansans in World War I: Service at Home and Abroad. The book along with other book selections (https://kansaspress.ku.edu/veterans-day-titles-from-upk/) are currently available for 30% off with free shipping* by entering code: 24VETERANS at checkout. *free shipping is for US addresses only*
ARMISTICE DAY BECOMES VETERANS DAY
During the presidency of Kansan Dwight Eisenhower, Congress heeded the suggestion of a shoe sales clerk from Emporia and changed Armistice Day to Veterans Day. After World War II ended, Alvin King suggested that Armistice Day be renamed, and congressman Edward Rees sponsored legislation to change the name to Veterans Day. The bill became a law on June 1, 1954, in a White House ceremony attended by King, Rees, Wayne Richards of Arkansas City, Richard Trombla of El Dorado, and John Nation of Chanute. In 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives declared Emporia “to be the founding city of Veterans Day” and recognized Alvin King “as the founder of Veterans Day.” To honor the holiday, Emporia holds a multi-day celebration and students participate in a Veterans Day essay and poster contest.
According to official records, 589 communities in Kansas experienced a death of a resident in military service during the First World War. Seven communities lost thirty or more soldiers: Wichita (69); Kansas City (68); Topeka (58); Hutchinson (32); Leavenworth (31); Pittsburg (31); and Lawrence (30). . Of the 40 communities that lost 10 or more men, three lost more than one percent of their 1910 population: Lyndon (10 of 763, or 1.311%); Oskaloosa (11 of 851, or 1.293%); and Augusta (13 of 1,235, or 1.053%).
Statues, arches, monuments, memorial halls, school buildings, stadiums, and museums stand today as tributes to the role played by Kansas and Kansans in World War I. The centennial anniversary of the armistice fell on Sunday, November 11, 2018, and Kansas churches tolled bells at the eleventh hour in remembrance of those who served and sacrificed. The centennial has fueled a continuing interest in World War I. For example, on November 11, 2019, the University of Kansas rededicated the Memorial Union and engraved 129 stars in the newly constructed arch canopy to honor the Jayhawk men and women who died while serving in the war.
