Just over a century ago， on the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month （Nov. 11， 1918）， formal hostilities ended in the First World War when an armistice with Germany went into effect. Known originally as Armistice Day， this holiday was meant to honor those who had served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War I and had been discharged in any manner other than dishonorably.

一个多世纪前，在1918年11月11日11时，随着与德国签署的停战协议生效，第一次世界大战正式结束。这个公众假日原本被称为“停战日”，旨在纪念一战时在美军服役并光荣牺牲和退伍的所有人。

Although Nov. 11 was celebrated by much of the American public from its first anniversary in 1919， it was in 1938 that the day became a legal holiday by an Act of Congress and known formally as Armistice Day. In 1945， following the end of World War II， army veteran Raymond Weeks had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans， not just those who died in World War I. Weeks led a delegation to Gen. Dwight Eisenhower， who supported the idea of National Veterans Day. The day took on this broader significance over the next decade and， in 1954， it was formally renamed Veterans Day.

虽然从1919年一周年起美国公众已广泛在11月11日举行纪念活动，但直到1938年，美国国会才通过法案，将11月11日定为法定假日，并正式命名为“停战日”。1945年，第二次世界大战结束后，退伍军人雷蒙德·威克斯提出将“停战日”扩大为纪念所有退伍军人的节日，而不仅限于一战阵亡者。威克斯率团拜会了德怀特·艾森豪威尔将军，后者支持设立“全国退伍军人节”的想法。随后十年，这一假日逐渐被赋予了相应的更广泛意义，并于1954年正式更名为“退伍军人节”。

Massachusetts was one of the first states to adopt Armistice Day as an official holiday， beginning with Gov. Calvin Coolidge’s proclamation in 1919. Local organizations， including groups such as the American Legion， the Elks Club and area churches， used the occasion to host commemorations in the form of parades， concerts， balls and sermons. On Nov. 11， 1919， Cambridge1 Mayor Edward Quinn declared that there would be a public gathering in front of City Hall， featuring representatives from the current army and navy departments as well as members of the Grand Army of the Republic （veterans of the Civil War） and Spanish American War Veterans. The event featured a reading of the Declaration of Independence and concluded with the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

马萨诸塞州是最早将“停战日”确立为官方节日的州之一，这始于1919年州长卡尔文·柯立芝的公告。当地的一些组织，包括美国退伍军人协会、麋鹿俱乐部及周边教会等，借此机会举办各种纪念活动，如游行、音乐会、舞会、布道等。1919年11月11日，剑桥市市长爱德华·奎因宣布，将在市政厅前举行公众集会，出席者包括现役陆海军代表，以及共和国军团（南北战争老兵）和美西战争老兵。活动上有人朗读《独立宣言》，最后以齐唱美国国歌《星光灿烂的旗帜》（又译《星条旗》）结束。

It was clear from this first Armistice Day celebration in Cambridge that the holiday would not be limited to those who had served in World War I. In fact， with the population of soldiers from the Civil War and Spanish American War eras disappearing rapidly， the institution of a new holiday to honor military service took on a wider and more important meaning in helping to keep public memory of those earlier struggles alive. Over the past century—beginning well before the official shift from a World War I-specific holiday to a broader Veterans Day—Armistice Day commemorations have routinely included celebrations of all who had served in the Armed Forces， regardless of period.

从剑桥市首次“停战日”庆典可以清楚看出，这个节日并不局限于纪念一战军人。