Armistice Day 2023

No tanks, trucks, or weapons.

On Saturday, November 11, members of Veterans For Peace paid respect to all who have served in our nation’s defense. They did so by upholding the purpose of Armistice Day: peace.

“In 1918, warring nations finally got sick of fighting,” says Gary May, a veteran who left his legs in Vietnam. “So they said no more and signed the Armistice.”

“There are no winners in war,” says Lynn Kinkade, veteran. “One side may claim victory, but the true cost, measured in lives, limbs, and the destruction of our planet, tells a different story. War makes everyone a loser.”

The Armistice that ended World War I took effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Honoring tradition, Veterans For Peace gathered at that time at the Four Freedoms Monument on Evansville’s riverfront.

Keynote speaker Daniel Byrne, professor of history at University of Evansville, shared thoughts about how Armistice Day took a subtle step toward militarism in 1954 with its rebranding as “Veterans Day.” Daniel also reflected on how memories of past events change over time, affecting the history being written today.

The members of Veterans For Peace Chapter 104 gather at the Four Freedoms Monument in Evansville in observance of Armistice Day, November 11, 2023. Photos courtesy Ray Kessler.