In 1918, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, World War I ... the "war to end all wars" ... came to a close. From that evolved the day we now know as Veterans Day. Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto urges residents to remember our veterans on Veterans Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11.

"Unfortunately, many people look upon November 11 as simply a day off from work to relax or take advantage of store sales and forget that the reason the day was set aside was to honor our nation's veterans," Venditto stated. "The debt we owe our veterans is one that is all but impossible to repay, which is why it is so important that on Veterans Day, we remember and salute their service.

"Throughout the history of our great nation, courageous men and women have served in the Armed Forces to secure, defend and maintain the freedoms upon which our nation was founded," Venditto continued. "Today, there are more than 25 million living veterans who served in the armed forces in times of peace and war. They represent all walks of life, religions and ethnic backgrounds. Right now, there are men and women putting their lives on the line in the war against terrorism, and hardly a day goes by when there is not a report of one or more of these brave soldiers paying the ultimate price."

The supervisor went on to say that in 1921, an unknown World War I American soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on November 11. Similar ceremonies had already been held in England and France, where an unknown solider was buried in each nation's highest place of honor ... in England, Westminster Abbey and in France, the Arc de Triomphe ... giving universal recognition to the celebrated ending of World War I. The day became known as Armistice Day. Armistice Day officially received its name through a Congressional resolution in 1926, and, in 1938, it became a legal holiday by an act of Congress. November 11 continued to be observed as Armistice Day until 1954 when, at the urging of veterans' organizations, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an act of Congress formally changing the name to Veterans Day "in order to expand the significance of that (Armistice Day) celebration and in order that a grateful nation might pay appropriate homage to the veterans of all its wars who have contributed so much to the preservation of this nation ... " In 1968, Congress moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in November, but returned it to its traditional date in 1978 after heavy lobbying by veterans groups and concerned citizens, who believed that moving the observance to create a three-day holiday only served to take the focus off the historical significance of the day.

"On Veterans Day, let us remember that freedom is not free, that it has a high price and our veterans helped pay the price," Venditto stated. "With an estimated 1,500 to 1,800 veterans dying every day, there are few veterans of World War I surviving, and the ranks of World War II and Korean War veterans are rapidly thinning. For their sakes, and for the veterans of Vietnam, Desert Storm, unnamed conflicts and peace-keeping missions, and for those now serving in our Armed Forces here and abroad, including those engaged in Operation Enduring Freedom, let us not allow this Veterans Day to go by without offering them some show of our gratitude and respect for their service. Were it not for them giving up a part of their lives, and, in some cases, giving what President Abraham Lincoln called their 'last full measure of devotion,' we would not be living ours in freedom."