On November 11, 1918, the guns stopped firing along the western front in France. The War to End All Wars, the bloodiest war in history to that date, was thus ended by an agreement between the Allies and Germany to cease-fire on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The Allied Powers soon memorialized the day the guns stopped. In America, November 11 was called Armistice Day. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed the day would be called Veterans Day, intended to honor living veterans of military service. It is a day of recognition in all forms of public and private ceremonies.

I was reminded of this day and the honor and national recognition it continues to deserve recently during a visit last month to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. I was there during American Pharmacists Month and had the privilege of meeting several of America’s newest “Greatest Generation” of wounded warriors, who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Each of them, as well as all of our veterans who have served this great nation, deserves our heartfelt thanks and continued support.

APhA commemorated the day and thanked our own staff veterans Andre Mackall, Eugene George, George Griffenhagen, Duane Tackitt, and Michael Price with a ceremony in front of our building and our flagpole memorial. We celebrate today the contributions of all of our veterans and we pray for their continued safety.