VOA · U.S. History
Intermediate · B1–B2learner speed4:522017-11-09public domain
The U.S. History series (The Making of a Nation) tells American history from the colonial era onward in VOA Special English: slow speed, limited vocabulary, long-form storytelling. Generations of learners have used this exact series to break through intermediate listening.
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01November 11th is Veterans Day in the United States.
02But because Veterans Day falls on a Saturday this year, Friday, November 10th, is a federal holiday.
03A veteran is anyone who has served in the armed forces.
04Veterans Day honors the living.
05A separate holiday, Memorial Day in May, honors those who died in military service.
06The United States has about 18.5 million veterans.
07The term veteran is not just for those who have served in wars.
08It describes anyone who has ever been in the military.
09On November 11th, communities across the country hold ceremonies and parades to mark Veterans Day.
10Military bands play.
11Public officials take part in the events.
12And soldiers fire guns into the air in a salute to remember those who died in service to their country.
13The history of Veterans Day relates to World War I.
14Many people at the time called it the war to end all wars.
15The United States entered the fighting in Europe in 1917.
16But the U.S.
17armed forces were small.
18So the government began to draft men between the ages of 21 and 31.
19The men came from cities and farms.
20Some were rich.
21Others were poor.
22There were doctors, lawyers, businessmen, and college students.
23Many were married.
24The following year, the government expanded the draft.
25Now it called on men between the ages of 18 and 45.
26More than 13 million reported for duty.
27Many women joined the armed forces, too.
28Most got office jobs at military bases in the United States.
29Some, however, went to France to work as nurses in battlefield hospitals.
30World War I ended when Germany surrendered at 11 o'clock in the morning on November 11, 1918.
31In other words, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
32The following year, President Woodrow Wilson signed a declaration to observe November 11 as Armistice Day in the United States.
33It would be a day to honor the men and women who had served in the U.S.
34armed forces during the war.
35In 1926, Congress made Armistice Day a national holiday.
36But new problems were on the way.
37Soon, everyone knew that World War I would not be the war to end all wars.
38In all, more than 4 million Americans served in the armed forces during the First World War.
39And 16 million would serve during the second one.
40Armistice Day in 1945 was a special day in the United States.
41Germany had surrendered in May 1945.
42And Japan surrendered in August of that year.
43Most of the men and women who had served in the war were home.
44So, instead of honoring just veterans of World War I, Americans also honored veterans of World War II.
45In 1954, Congress decided to change the name of Armistice Day.
46The holiday became Veterans Day.
47I'm Dorothy Gundy.
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