November 11: All Quiet on the Western Front
November 11th is widely celebrated as Armistice Day (the end of hostilities in World War I). In the United States, the holiday that began as Armistice Day morphed into Veterans Day and is an observance to honor all veterans of all American wars. In Poland, November 11th is National Independence Day ( Narodowe Święto Niepodległości ), and commemorates the rebirth of Poland as a sovereign state at the end of World War I. Polish WWI Recruitment Poster. Source . So, while in much of the world the day is one marked by some level of sad remembrance, in the United States and Poland it is much more of a celebration, although in both these countries the celebration issues from the same Great War (Wielką Wojną). When November 11th rolls around I give a lot of thought to that war and everything that it set in motion in the 20th Century. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the end of that horrific cataclysm. Sadly, that war and its effects has been largely overshadowed by the Secon...