Sawtooth Star

At eleven o'clock in the morning on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918 an armistice was signed between Germany and the Allies of World War I at Compiègne, France, signaling the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I. The armistice was essentially three-month cease-fire; the war didn’t actually come to an end until the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. In Great Britain Armistice Day is celebrated with poppies to commemorate the lives lost in World War I and subsequent wars. Tiny artificial poppies start showing up on lapels the last Friday in October and disappear after sunset November 11. In the US November 11 is called Veteran’s Day, a day to honor the service of veterans both living and dead. We reserve Memorial Day – Decoration Day – to remember those killed in action.