Veterans for Peace will hold a Veterans Day ceremony today at the University of Michigan’s central campus near the Burton Memorial Tower.
Director of Veterans for Peace Chapter 93 Bill Shea says Veterans Day began as a tribute to those that didn’t return home from World War I. During Monday’s ceremony, U-M’s Burton Memorial Tower will ring 11 times at 11 AM, symbolizing the day’s origin with the armistice on November 11th, 1918.
Shea says President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Veterans Day Proclamation later expanded the day’s meaning to honor all veterans and promote peace.
“Over the course of a number of years, it has slightly changed. President Eisenhower, in 1954, I believe, changed the idea that it was more than honoring World War I veterans. It was honoring all veterans.”
Other Veterans Day ceremonies will be held locally, including at Washtenaw Community College and Chelsea Senior Center.
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