Web resources pay tribute to Veterans

      Since I spent a year studying in France many years ago, it will always stick in my memory that November 11th is Veteran’s day.  The French celebrate “Armistice Day” as a national holiday, so businesses are closed, and I had the day off of school.  World War I officially ended on November 11th, 1918, with the signing of the armistice in Compiègne, France at “the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.”  After six more months of negotiations, the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919 – exactly five years after the assassination of arch-duke Franz Ferdinand, one of the events that led to World War I.

      So, what is this information doing in a column that normally talks about technology?  While I really remember that November 11 is Veteran’s day, I really didn’t have the date of the Treaty of Versailles memorized, and I actually thought that it was signed on Armistice Day.  But, with the help of some internet resources I got my facts straight and learned a lot more.  Below are some resource that can help history buffs, students, and “just regular folks” have a better appreciation for veterans and their role in history.
      

• www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetday_faq.asp– Official information from the Department of Veteran Affairs on Veterans Day.
• www.rootsweb.com/~wikenosh/military.htm - Information on Kenosha Veterans, including lists of what Veterans from which wars are buried in which cemeteries.
• www.loc.gov/vets/sights.html - The Veterans History project, including photos, memoirs, official documents, and even interviews!
• www.dva.state.wi.us/PA_Vetsday.asp - Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs web site.
• www.military.com/VeteransDay/VeteransDayTribute.html - An animated, pictorial tribute to Veterans.
• www.kidsturncentral.com/links/veteransday.htm and www.theholidayzone.com/veterans/ - Activities for kids related to Veterans Day.
  
• www.nbc-links.com/miscellaneous/FlandersField.html - If you recall even part of the poem “In Flanders field the poppies grow,” you’ll appreciate this web site, which gives the entire text of the poem, some “answer poems” and the history of its authorship.  If you’ve never known why poppies are often given in exchange for a donation to veterans groups on Memorial Day, you can find that out at www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html.  
• Wikipedia.com– An on-line encyclopedia containing articles contributed and reviewed by a wide variety of people.  Articles can be found in a variety of languages.  I read the article on the armistice of WWI written in French, which is not just a translation of its English counterpart, but rather and article written from the French point of view.  It includes a photo of the “dining car” and the signers of the armistice.
• www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/dday/watch.html - Video and other resources from Bill Moyers journal on D-Day, from World War II.

by Carol Sabbar from the Kenosha News on 11-11-07