Veterans' Day

In the blog below this one, Lilia says that tomorrow November 10 is a special day. She did not tell you why, but I know and I am not going to tell you! (I think it is the worst kept secret in the world!) Listen to Lilia. EVERYONE should be in class tomorrow. Of course Mustapha cannot come because he is in Columbus, Ohio to see some of his family that he has not seen in a long time. Besides Lilia's reason, tomorrow is a special day because there is no school for the class for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. (You do not have class on Friday anyway.)
This Friday (November 11) is a holiday in the United States. It USED TO BE called Armistice Day, but now is called Veterans' Day. It is a day we honor all men and women who have served in the military. It is not celebrated on a Monday because the date (Nov. 11) has a special meaning. On November 11, 1918, an armistice was signed by representatives of France, England, The United States, and Germany. The agreement said that all fighting was to stop at 11:00 A.M. on the 11th month (Nov.) and the 11th day (11, 11, and 11.) . Because of the "11's", we do not celebrate the holiday on a Monday.
If you study World War I, you will find that many soldiers on both sides were killed between November 1st and November 11th. My father was not a citizen of the United States at the time, but he was fighting in the United States Army in the Argonne Woods of France. He was wounded on November 1st. and lucky that he was not killed. When the war ended, he returned to Massachuusetts and was taken along with many other soldiers from Fort Devens, Massachusetts to Boston. There he raised his right hand and was sworn in as a new citizen of the United States. (It was a good thing for me that the German SNIPER did not aim his rifle very well!)