Honoring Those Who Served: Today Is Veterans Day

Photo: Gary Firstenberg

It hasn't always been called Veterans Day. It originated as Armistice Day, proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 to mark the end of World War I, which ceased with an armistice at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. The day commemorated the war’s conclusion and honored the fallen. 

In 1954, after World War II and the Korean War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation renaming it Veterans Day to recognize all veterans, living or deceased, from every conflict.

World War II claimed over 70 million lives, including countless artists, thinkers, and innovators. Many who perished were not soldiers but civilians, resistance fighters, and creators whose work continues to define the human story of courage, suffering, and loss. Benny Goodman, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (author of The Little Prince), and John F. Kennedy's brother Joe Jr. were among the memorable who perished.

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The haunting 24-note bugle call played at military funerals and flag ceremonies is called Taps. This solemn tune was birthed in July 1862 during the Civil War’s Peninsula Campaign. Union Gen. Daniel Butterfield, dissatisfied with the harsh “Extinguish Lights” call, worked with bugler Oliver Norton to revise a softer French signal, “Tattoo.” Butterfield lengthened notes and reshaped the melody for a more mournful tone. First sounded at Harrison’s Landing, Virginia, it quickly spread to both armies. It honors the day’s end, fallen comrades, and the final farewell. Lyrics added later—“Day is done, gone the sun…”—reinforce its meaning: rest in peace.  

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My father-in-law, Wilmer A. "Bud" Wagner, kept a diary throughout his 3+ years in the army during WWII. These diary notes later became the basis for a 500+ page book about those years. This is an excerpt from his book And There Shall Be Wars. 

Portion of the WW2 Memorial in Washington DC
showing some of the cities where Wagner served. 

Had to go to all battalions at midnight with firing orders. Moonlight so I didn't mind too much. Slept through breakfast. Were shelled twice here today. My nerves aren't able to take it anymore as well as they used to. Some shells came close enough.

     151 moved tonight; I moved with them to the other side of San Pietro, a rubbled mess, a battlefield, to be sure. Back here at 10:00, just got nicely to sleep when the guard called, "Wag, get to Message Center," so there was another Firing Order to all battalions. It must have been after 2:00 when I got back.
Friday, January 7, 1944

San Pietro and San Vitorre were two towns literally blown off the face of the earth. There were many trees around that were totally devoid of all branches, and were just sticks left from all the shell fire. The city itself was piles of concrete rubble. I didn't see life of any kind left any time I drove through. About this time the II Corps took Mts. Porchio and Chiaia, two objectives necessary for our Division to have before our ultimate objective of Cassino.

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Veterans Day, observed annually on November 11, honors all U.S. military veterans for their service and sacrifice.  Today, it’s a federal holiday for reflection and gratitude.

Veteran's Day: The Book "And There Shall Be Wars" Speaks Volumes

Bud Wagner in North Africa
Anti-aircraft machinegun operator

My father-in-law Wilmer A. "Bud" Wagner was the second man in Northern Minnesota to be drafted into World War II. He carried a small pocket camera and kept a diary from beginning to end, from Camp Claiborne to Ireland to North Africa and the Italy Campaigns. 

When Susie and I were dating in the 1970s, Bud brought out his diaries and asked me to give an opinion as to whether they would be of interest to anyone. At the end of the weekend I gave him my verdict: "Yes!"

So began his journey toward becoming an author. His keen day by day observations were then amplified with a lifetime of research and reflection to provide readers with important insights through the eyes of a young soldier from rural Minnesota.

Bud Wagner -- cook, machine gunner and company agent -- had the privilege of being on the first convoy to make its way across the Atlantic for the European theater. And the good fortune of having survived the duration of the war without becoming a casualty in North Africa and Italy, which included beachheads at Anzio and Salerno.

The book is a joint project involving the research skills and memoirs of WW II veteran Bud Wagner and his son Lloyd Wagner (Masters in Literature). When I encouraged to amplify his diaries and make a book of them I had no idea of how invested he would become in this project. He greatly exceeded my expectations and, with Lloyd's able editing, he has produced a fascinating manuscript that includes a large quantity of original photos and other documents.

When the manuscript was published, he sent a copy to retired General John W. Vessey, former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Vessey's name appears four times in the book, including a diaryentry noting that John Vessey's promotion to Captain took place in Bud's "peep." (It was only after the war that the learned these all-purpose vehicles were called jeeps.)

Here is General Vessey's letter to Bud regarding this memoir titled And There Shall Be Wars.

"Dear Bud, ... Thanks not only for the copy of the book, but also for putting those wartime notes into a permanent record. It is an important addition to all the "stuff" historians record. I couldn't put the book down once I got into it. It brought back a lot of memories reading about times, places, and people from 55+ years ago." 

~ retired General John W. Vessey, 

former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Just today I was forwarded an email from one of Susie's classmates who just finished reading Bud's diary/memoirs. Her comments were so poignant I requested to share them here. She wrote:

Bud and his mud-covered "peep"

This is Sarah Grandson (Sundberg). I have a copy of your father’s book that you gave me at the 50th reunion in July, and just finished reading it. What a treasure!! You and your family are so fortunate that your father kept a diary. You had asked me to let you know what I thought, so here goes.

1. He kept a lot of his personal feelings to himself, so I thought it interesting how affected he was by the death of one of the fellows who he wasn’t as close to when they were fighting in Italy (don’t remember the name), but I suppose after seeing so much death and destruction anyone would really start questioning the purpose. It was amazing how well he actually handled all the destruction around him.
2. I was surprised how poor the quality of the Army “peeps” were as his was always breaking down, a certain amount due of course, to the conditions. You can feel his frustration with it. 
3. It’s amazing at how adaptable the human species are. To go from a tight, secure family environment to preparing for war, then to the thick of it, and handle the emotions as well as your father did, is remarkable. 
4. Those men suffered so much and complained so little. Hunger, cold, heat, lack of a safe place to sleep, danger of losing their life, etc, etc. they truly were the “greatest generation”.

Disabled German tank.

Here's another response to the book, this one from James Wiita, a friend in the local music and arts scene who completed his own first book this past winter, Rock On, Duluth!

Reading Bud is like a daily talk with someone, though one sided. You can pick right up where you left off, it’s so personal it shows his human characteristics, and what to anticipate with each entry.

It seems to show every aspect of “army life “ -- the important details and accuracy mixed with the training -- moments with friends and music, faith, along with frequent headaches and  times of boredom.

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One of the surprises for me was Bud's love of poetry. There are numerous poems included in the book. One of my favorites is titled, "You're A Machine Gunner Now." Another is titled "A Battalion Agent" which you can find in this blog post titled "War Poems Tell Stories."

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2022/01/a-battalion-agent-war-poems-tell-stories.html

When I was in Italy last year my visit coincided with Italy's Liberation Day. On that day Italy celebrated the Allies victory over fascism. There were nationwide expressions of gratitude to the U.S. for its role in defeating Mussolini. You can read about my experiences here:

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2023/05/liberation-day-italy-celebrates-victory.html

One last link

Various Ways of Looking at History with Commentary (and a Book Offer)

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2023/04/various-ways-of-looking-at-history-with.html 

Veterans Day and My Boy Jack

Veterans Day is an annual United States holiday honoring military veterans. A federal holiday, it is observed on November 11. It is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.) ~Wikipedia

War has been featured prominently in many Hollywood films, often as an incidental backdrop or even as an incidental scene as in the Bruce Willis time travel insertion into the trenches in the film 13 Monkeys.

Here is a short list of other films which I've seen with World War I as a setting or theme.
Paths of Glory (Kubrick)... my all time favorite
The African Queen (Bogie and Kathryn Hepburn)
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Blue Max
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Iron Will (1993 Disney film about a dogsled race in which I "starred" as an extra, with Kevin Spacey)
My Boy Jack (Very powerful, sad)
Legends of the Fall (Impact of war on a family in Montana, starring Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt and Aidan Quinn)

My Boy Jack is a film about the impact of WWI on Rudyard Kipling after losing his son at the Battle of Loos. The film is based on the 1996 play by David Haig. Here is the poem by Kipling that served as catalyst for both play and film.

My Boy Jack

“Have you news of my boy Jack?”
Not this tide.
“When d’you think that he’ll come back?”
Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

“Has any one else had word of him?”
Not this tide.
For what is sunk will hardly swim,
Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

“Oh, dear, what comfort can I find?”
None this tide,
Nor any tide,
Except he did not shame his kind —
Not even with that wind blowing, and that tide.

Then hold your head up all the more,
This tide,
And every tide;
Because he was the son you bore,
And gave to that wind blowing and that tide!

Rudyard Kipling, 1915

Today is a day to remember all of "our boys" who have served.