U.S. Celebrates Veterans Day

Wednesday Barack Obama will honor the veterans on the first Veterans Day observance of his presidency. The President will take part in a traditional wreath-laying ceremony and deliver a speech at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington.

Photo: U.S. Celebrates Veterans Day

U.S. Celebrates Veterans Day

Mr. Obama and his wife Michelle will begin the day by hosting a Veterans Day breakfast at the White House.

The observance is one of many being held in the United States and around the world marking the 91st anniversary of the cease fire agreement that ended the battles of World War One, officially reached on "the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month."

It is known in Europe and elsewhere as Armistice or Remembrance Day, Voice of America reports.

It was also reported, Veterans Day, a federal holiday, celebrates the servicemembers who survived their experiences in war. We spoke with four veterans from four wars about its significance, as well as their identification as a veteran of an American foreign war.

Edward Gorman, 85, of Iselin was in a special communications unit that landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944, when U.S. troops suffered nearly 9,000 casualties.

Because his father survived combat in World War I, Veterans Day was celebrated in his home even before the war.

“You know as a family we always celebrated or observed Armistice Day back then, and then after I got out of the service it became even more meaningful because my brothers were also in the service. As a family we always observed it,” The Star-Ledger - NJ.com reports.

Meanwhile, in Britain, Queen Elizabeth II, senior politicians and the heads of the armed forces attended a ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey to commemorate the passing of a generation who fought in WWI. The last remaining veterans, William Stone, Henry Allingham and Harry Patch, all died this year.

Former and serving military personnel also joined members of the public in standing for the traditional two-minute silence to mark the sacrifice of those who fell in battle.

This year, leaders of Germany and France marked the day with a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Australians observed one minute silence at 11 a.m., in memory of those who died or suffered in all of the nation's wars and armed conflicts, CNN reports.