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On the 11th hour of the 11h day of the 11th month of 1918, the World War I armistice, signed by the Allies and Germany, went into effect.

The following year, President Woodrow Wilson commemorated the first official Armistice Day by stating, “the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory…” Armistice Day was originally established to recognize the end of World War I, but in 1954, after the enormous efforts of World War II and the Korean War, veterans organizations requested Congress to amend the holiday to include all veterans. Congress agreed and in October of 1954, President Dwight D Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day Proclamation.

“Each Veterans Day, we pause to honor the service of those who have stood to defend our freedoms,” said Nick Miller, manager at Eaton Funeral Service in Mocksville. “We are blessed in our great country to have brave men and women, in the past and in the present, willing to persevere to keep our nation free, safe, and proud.

“Eaton Funeral Service is proud to celebrate the heroism of the men, women, and families that have sacrificed by serving our nation.”

On Wednesday, Nov. 11, the funeral home will be open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. to honor veterans.

“In consideration of the concerns surrounding COVID-19, we have elected not to schedule a large gathering with fellowship and a picnic as we did last year, but we would like to treat our veterans with a collection of gifts that will include a gift certificate to a local restaurant for a meal of appreciation. We invite our veterans to stop by to receive their gift or contact us if unable to drop in and would like your gift delivered,” Miller said.