Good Afternoon Du Bois Friends and Families,
World War 1 ended on the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th month in 1918. The war officially ended with the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, but the fighting stopped on November 11, at 11:11 AM in 1918. Historians estimate that between 9 to 11 million soldiers died as a result of the so-called “Great War.” To put that number into context, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 7.1 million people lived in Massachusetts as of 2024.
Today, what was originally known as Armistice Day, is Veterans’ Day–a day, and is set aside to thank and celebrate those who have served, especially those who are friends, families, and neighbors. We celebrate Veterans’ Day on this upcoming Tuesday, November 11.
In the preface to his 1973 novel Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut, speaking through his alter-ego Philboyd Studge, recalls that first Armistice Day:
“All the people of all the nations which had fought in the First World War were silent during the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of Armistice Day, which was the eleventh day of the eleventh month. It was during that minute in nineteen hundred and eighteen, that millions upon millions of human beings stopped butchering one another. I have talked to old men who were on battlefields during that minute. They have told me in one way or another that the sudden silence was the Voice of God. So we still have among us some men who can remember when God spoke clearly to mankind.”
Mr. Vonnegut was not only a prolific writer, speaker, and thinker, but was also a World War II Veteran, survivor of the Dresden fire bombing, and prisoner of war. He knew the common heroism of his colleagues and the monumental tragedy of war.
My hope for this Veteran’s Day of 2025 is two-part. First, that all of those who have served in our armed forces know the gratitude of their Nation in word and in deed, in symbolic ways, and through continued support for their sacrifice in very real ways. Second, I hope that our leaders around the world create time and space to hear and heed “that sudden silence,” and soberly consider that long-ago day when “God spoke clearly to mankind.”
We hope that you mark this important day in the life of our Nation in a meaningful way, and we certainly extend thanks to all who have served or are serving, and to their families for their shared sacrifices.
Have a peaceful weekend, and please be well.
Jake M.
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