(November 6, 2024) Helena’s Veterans gear up to recognize the 105th Anniversary of Veterans (Armistice) Day on Monday, November 11, 2024. The Lewis & Clark County Veterans Memorial Foundation will celebrate Veterans Day with their program at the Lewis & Clark Veterans Memorial located in Helena’s Memorial Park at 3 p.m. In The Foundation will again recognize the renewal of the Memorial that has been completely refurbished through the effort of the citizens of Helena and Lewis & Clark County.

If adverse weather occurs the ceremony will move to American Post 2 located at 3095 Villard Avenue (corner of Villard Avenue and Custer Avenue).

The Lewis and Clark County Veterans Memorial Foundation is proud to announce that Major General John P. Hronrek, Adjutant General, Montana, serving as Commander of the Montana National Guard and the Director of the Department of Military Affairs as the Event speaker. He is responsible to the Governor of Montana to provide Army and Air National military forces that are ready to deploy worldwide and accomplish military mission in support of national defense, homeland security, natural disasters, domestic emergencies, and military support to state and local government. As the Adjutant General Major General Hronek serves on the Governor’s cabinet as the principle military advisor and is responsible to the Governor for State Disaster and Emergency Management, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, Counter-Drug support to Civilian Law Enforcement, the Montana National Guard Youth Challenge Program and the STARBASE Program.

Prior to his appointment as the Adjutant General he served as the Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, Air Education and Training Command. In this position assisted with formulating, developing, coordinating policies and programs impacting more than 107,000 Air National members.

He is a command pilot with over 4,100 hours in the F-106, F-16, F-15C, and C-130-H. General Hronek served as NGB Director of A5/8/9 Plans, Programs and requirements, Air National Guard Readiness Center, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Assistant Adjutant General, Montana Air National Guard, Chief of Staff, Montana Air National Guard and Commander of the 120th Airlift Wing In Great Falls, Montana, MT, where he led the Wing in two major aircraft conversions from the F-16Cto the -15C and the F-15C to the C-130H.

He has served three combat tours in Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, Kukuk Air Force Base, Iraq and Balad Air Base, Iraq.

Other Events:

Post 2, located at 3095 Villard Avenue (corner of Villard Avenue and Custer Avenue) will serve their annual Veterans Day breakfast from 7: a.m.- 10 a.m. Veterans and their families along with Active and National Guard and Reserve military personnel and their families are welcome.

East Helena will conduct their annual Veterans Day parade from the VFW Post 10010 at the home to East Helena starting at 11 a.m. with lunch to follow.

The Veterans Day event at 3:00 p.m.at the Lewis and Clark County Memorial, Memorial Park Veterans Day occurs on November 11 every year in the United States in honor of the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918 that signaled the end of World War I

World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. However, the fighting ended about seven months before that when the Allies and Germany put into effect an armistice on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, was largely considered the end of “the war to end all wars” or The Great War and dubbed Armistice Day. In 1926, Congress officially recognized it as the end of the war, and in 1938, it became an official holiday, primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I.

But then World War II and the Korean War happened, so on June 1, 1954, at the urging of veterans’ service organizations, Congress amended the commemoration yet again, by changing the word “armistice” to “veterans” so the day would honor American veterans of all wars and conflicts.

History of Veterans Day

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

Soldiers of the 353rd Infantry near a church at Stenay, Meuse in France, wait for the end of hostilities. This photo was taken at 10:58 a.m., on November 11, 1918, two minutes before the armistice ending World War I went into effect.

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m.

The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words: Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far-reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and

Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and

Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.” Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first “Veterans Day Proclamation” which stated: “In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans’ organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs as Chair of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chair may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.”

President Eisenhower signing HR7786, changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day. From left: Alvin J. King, Wayne Richards, Arthur J. Connell, John T. Nation, Edward Rees, Richard L. Trombla, Howard W. Watts On that same day, President Eisenhower sent a letter to the Honorable Harvey V. Higley, Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs (VA), designating him as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee.

In 1958, the White House advised VA’s General Counsel that the 1954 designation of the VA Administrator as Chair of the Veterans Day National Committee applied to all subsequent VA Administrators. Since March 1989 when VA was elevated to a cabinet level department, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has served as the committee’s chair. The Uniform Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to ensure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates.

The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the desires of the overwhelming majority of state legislatures, all major veterans service organizations and the American people. Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

Taken from Department of Veterans Affairs website : http://www.va.gov

By Phil Drake, Independent Record

A rededication and 75th anniversary observance of Montana’s Merci Car, a gift from the people of France to the state after World War II, as held Friday at the Montana Military Museum at Fort William Henry Harrison. Among those attending was Tieren Bussell, 18, a Capital High School senior who, along with dad Stephen and about two dozen volunteers, renovated the foundation of the area where the rail car sits. Bussell, a member of Boy Scout Troop 214, estimated about 130 hours into the project by his crew. Approval of his Eagle project is pending.

Bussell, whose hobby as a World War I reenactor stokes his interest in history, approached American Legion Lewis and Clark Post No. 2 to ask about a project and they suggested the Merci Car, his dad said.

Tieren and Stephen Bussell said they removed grass, put in brick around the base of the rail car, replaced damaged brick, power-washed bird poop off the car and did general cleanup. Ray Read, director of the military museum, noted they also made an “MT” for Montana with decorative brick. Tieren estimated less than $1,000 was spent on materials. “I think it was pretty amazing,” Stephen Bussell said of his son’s project. “Just looking at the before and after pictures, it cleaned it up a lot.”

Tieren cut the rededication ribbon in a ceremony attended by members of the Oro Fino Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, American Legion and Montana National Guard. Read appreciated the work as well.

“It’s fantastic,” he said. The Merci Car was a gift from the people of France in 1949, after having received aid from a grassroots effort by Americans to provide them with much-needed items after World War II. They sent 49 box cars filled with presents to the United States.

Montana’s box car was presented to the people of Montana on Feb. 16, 1949, at a ceremony in the state Capitol in front of a joint session of the Legislature and presented to Gov. John Bonner by Paul Lenier, French vice-counsel. It was eventually moved to the military museum.