Veterans Day Began After WWI as Armistice Day退伍軍人節源于一戰“停戰日”

Just over a century ago， on the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month （Nov. 11， 1918）， formal hostilities ended in the First World War when an armistice with Germany went into effect. Known originally as Armistice Day， this holiday was meant to honor those who had served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War I and had been discharged in any manner other than dishonorably.

一個多世紀前，在1918年11月11日11時，隨著與德國簽署的停戰協議生效，第一次世界大戰正式結束。這個公眾假日原本被稱為“停戰日”，旨在紀念一戰時在美軍服役并光榮犧牲和退伍的所有人。

Although Nov. 11 was celebrated by much of the American public from its first anniversary in 1919， it was in 1938 that the day became a legal holiday by an Act of Congress and known formally as Armistice Day. In 1945， following the end of World War II， army veteran Raymond Weeks had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans， not just those who died in World War I. Weeks led a delegation to Gen. Dwight Eisenhower， who supported the idea of National Veterans Day. The day took on this broader significance over the next decade and， in 1954， it was formally renamed Veterans Day.

雖然從1919年一周年起美國公眾已廣泛在11月11日舉行紀念活動，但直到1938年，美國國會才通過法案，將11月11日定為法定假日，并正式命名為“停戰日”。1945年，第二次世界大戰結束后，退伍軍人雷蒙德·威克斯提出將“停戰日”擴大為紀念所有退伍軍人的節日，而不僅限于一戰陣亡者。威克斯率團拜會了德懷特·艾森豪威爾將軍，后者支持設立“全國退伍軍人節”的想法。隨后十年，這一假日逐漸被賦予了相應的更廣泛意義，并于1954年正式更名為“退伍軍人節”。

Massachusetts was one of the first states to adopt Armistice Day as an official holiday， beginning with Gov. Calvin Coolidge’s proclamation in 1919. Local organizations， including groups such as the American Legion， the Elks Club and area churches， used the occasion to host commemorations in the form of parades， concerts， balls and sermons. On Nov. 11， 1919， Cambridge1 Mayor Edward Quinn declared that there would be a public gathering in front of City Hall， featuring representatives from the current army and navy departments as well as members of the Grand Army of the Republic （veterans of the Civil War） and Spanish American War Veterans. The event featured a reading of the Declaration of Independence and concluded with the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

馬薩諸塞州是最早將“停戰日”確立為官方節日的州之一，這始于1919年州長卡爾文·柯立芝的公告。當地的一些組織，包括美國退伍軍人協會、麋鹿俱樂部及周邊教會等，借此機會舉辦各種紀念活動，如游行、音樂會、舞會、布道等。1919年11月11日，劍橋市市長愛德華·奎因宣布，將在市政廳前舉行公眾集會，出席者包括現役陸海軍代表，以及共和國軍團（南北戰爭老兵）和美西戰爭老兵。活動上有人朗讀《獨立宣言》，最后以齊唱美國國歌《星光燦爛的旗幟》（又譯《星條旗》）結束。

It was clear from this first Armistice Day celebration in Cambridge that the holiday would not be limited to those who had served in World War I. In fact， with the population of soldiers from the Civil War and Spanish American War eras disappearing rapidly， the institution of a new holiday to honor military service took on a wider and more important meaning in helping to keep public memory of those earlier struggles alive. Over the past century—beginning well before the official shift from a World War I-specific holiday to a broader Veterans Day—Armistice Day commemorations have routinely included celebrations of all who had served in the Armed Forces， regardless of period.

從劍橋市首次“停戰日”慶典可以清楚看出，這個節日并不局限于紀念一戰軍人。事實上，隨著南北戰爭和美西戰爭的老兵人數迅速減少，設立一個新的節日來紀念曾在軍隊服役的人有了更廣泛且更重要的意義——有助于讓公眾銘記早期的那些戰爭。過去的一個世紀，早在“停戰日”從一戰特定節日正式轉變為紀念范圍更廣泛的“退伍軍人節”之前，“停戰日”的活動就已習慣性地將所有曾在美國軍隊服役者納入紀念之列，不論何時服役。

As the world moved through an economic depression and into another world war， Armistice Day took on a new meaning， marking both the enduring hope of peace and the perilous threat of war. The fact that the United States again found itself embroiled in a global conflict not a quarter-century after the peace of 1918 caused many in Cambridge and around the country to question the continued celebration of Armistice Day. In November 1946， just over a year after the end of World War II， congressman-elect John F. Kennedy spoke to members of the Cambridge American Legion at their annual Armistice Ball. Kennedy remarked， “And now once again the soldiers and sailors and marines have come home—and Armistice Day now honors the dead of another war. Once again there are Cambridge boys among them.” Kennedy’s message to his listeners that night was one of cautious optimism， expressing hope that the world had learned the importance of international cooperation and mutual goodwill from its second foray into global warfare， if not from its first.

隨著世界經歷經濟大蕭條并再次陷入世界大戰，“停戰日”被賦予了新的意義，它既象征著對和平的持久期盼，也凸顯了戰爭的嚴峻威脅。1918年迎來的和平局面維系不到25年，美國便再次卷入全球沖突，這使劍橋市乃至全美許多人開始質疑繼續慶祝“停戰日”的意義。1946年11月，也就是二戰結束剛過一年，當選國會議員的約翰·F.肯尼迪在劍橋美國退伍軍人協會的年度“停戰舞會”上發表講話。肯尼迪說：“如今，士兵、水兵和海軍陸戰隊員們又一次回到了家——而‘停戰日’如今也要紀念另一場戰爭的陣亡者，其中依然有來自劍橋市的年輕人。”當晚，肯尼迪向聽眾傳遞的是一種謹慎的樂觀，他表達了希望：即便第一次世界大戰沒有讓人們汲取教訓，那么通過這第二次全球戰爭，世界也應當認識到了國際合作與相互善意的重要性。

In 1954， the year that Armistice Day was formally changed to Veterans Day， the Cambridge Chronicle reported that a rally would be held Nov. 11 to support the United Nations Charter Review. Created in the wake of World War II to solidify a commitment to international peace and cooperation， the United Nations proved to be both inspiring and divisive2 during the Cold War era. Many in Cambridge and beyond felt that such an international body was the only way to ensure peace， but others felt that the U.N. would give too much power and influence to the Soviet Union.

1954年，“停戰日”正式更名為“退伍軍人節”。當年的《劍橋紀事報》報道稱，11月11日將舉行一場集會，以支持《聯合國憲章》的審議。聯合國是二戰后建立的，旨在鞏固國際和平與合作的承諾。然而，在冷戰時期，它既鼓舞人心，又充滿爭議。劍橋當地及外地有許多人認為，這樣的國際組織是確保和平的唯一途徑；但也有人認為，聯合國會讓蘇聯獲得過多的權力與影響力。

Other， seemingly smaller changes in the way Veterans Day was commemorated also proved divisive within the city. A 1971 article in the Chronicle states that “Cambridge Veterans of World War I still have a lot of fight left in them. They are hopping mad over the fact that the observance of Veterans Day， originally World War One Armistice Day， has been pushed back from the historically accurate date of Nov. 11 to a Monday in October.” The article’s author goes on to compare the changing of the holiday （it was soon returned to its original Nov. 11 date after public pressure） amounted to the kind of “rewriting of history” of which the Soviet government was guilty—hardly the example Americans should want to follow.

在劍橋市，退伍軍人節的紀念方式出現的其他看似較小的變化也曾引發爭議。1971年，《劍橋紀事報》刊文稱：“劍橋的一戰老兵依然斗志不減。他們氣憤至極，因為‘退伍軍人節’——最初的“停戰日”——已由原先歷史上準確的11月11日改到了10月的某個星期一。”文章作者進一步批評道，更改節日日期（在公眾壓力下很快又恢復為11月11日）無異于“篡改歷史”，這是蘇聯政府慣常的做法——顯然不是美國人應該效仿的。

In Cambridge， as in most American cities， World War I has been overshadowed by the legacies of the Civil War before it and World War II after it. Although the United States gave monetary and military aid to our allies for almost the entire course of the war， the country was only directly involved in fighting from 1917-1918—none of which happened on American soil. Because it was so closely identified with Europe and its colonies， World War I received relatively little attention in the public sphere after the first few years after its end. The looming economic crisis that would become the Great Depression， which in turn segued into the Second World War， meant that World War I got short shrift in the area of public commemoration. In fact， the only significant memorial to the Cantabrigians3 who fought in World War I is a work by Boston sculptor Karl Skoog， “The Supreme Sacrifice，” which was installed in the Cambridge Cemetery in 1922. Because this sculpture sits on cemetery grounds， instead of in a well-traveled location such as Cambridge Common， it—and the city’s history in World War I—remains elusive.

與大多數美國城市一樣，在劍橋市，一戰的影響往往被之前的南北戰爭和之后的二戰所掩蓋。雖然美國在幾乎整個一戰期間都向盟國提供了資金和軍事援助，但真正直接參戰的時間僅限于1917至1918年，且戰事從未發生在美國本土。由于一戰與歐洲及其殖民地緊密相關，戰后沒幾年，美國公眾就不大關注了。隨之而來的經濟危機最終演變為大蕭條，進而引發二戰，更使一戰在公共紀念方面所獲重視十分有限。事實上，唯一為參加一戰的劍橋老兵所立的重要紀念物是波士頓雕塑家卡爾·斯庫格的作品《至高無上的犧牲》，于1922年安放在劍橋公墓。由于位于墓園內而非劍橋公園這樣的人流密集處，這座雕塑——以及劍橋市在一戰中的歷史——始終鮮有人問津。

As we prepare to once again mark the Veterans Day holiday， it is worth remembering its origins as Armistice Day and understanding the sense of hope that accompanied the end of World War I and what the world hoped would be a new dawn of international peace and security.

在我們再次迎來退伍軍人節之際，有必要回顧這一節日作為“停戰日”的起源，并銘記一戰結束時它所承載的希望——世界曾寄望于一個國際和平與安全新紀元的到來。

（譯者單位：北京化工大學）

1劍橋市，位于美國馬薩諸塞州波士頓以北，與波士頓隔查爾斯河相望，是一座以高等教育、科研創新和文化多樣性著稱的城市。

2 divisive分裂的，造成不和的。

3 Cantabrigian馬薩諸塞州劍橋市當地人或居民。