Looking at history of Veterans Day

With Veterans Day coming up Thursday, here are a few questionsand answers about the observance and the nation's Pledge ofAllegiance, provided by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

Q:  What is Veterans Day?

A: World War I ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed onJune 28, 1919.  However, the fighting had stopped — pending thetreaty — on Nov. 11, 1918, "at the eleventh hour, of the eleventhday, of the eleventh month."  

President Woodrow Wilson declared Nov. 11 as Armistice Day as aday of "solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in thecountry's service and with gratitude for the victory."

On June 4, 1926, Congress officially recognized the end of WorldWar I with a proclamation calling for the flag to be displayed onall government buildings on Nov. 11.

In October 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower changed ArmisticeDay to Veterans Day in observance of the armistice anniversary andrecognition of veterans and veterans' organizations.

Q: why do we pledge allegiance to the flag?

A: the U.S. flag represents not just our country as a politicalunit, but the principles that bind us together as Americans asexpressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.the pledge was originally composed by Francis Bellamy in 1892. Ithas been modified four times since then. the original pledge read,"I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which itstands: one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all."According to the Congressional Research Service, "my flag" waschanged to "the flag of the United States of America," in 1923,because the National Flag Conference believed the word "my" couldcause confusion among new immigrants, who might take it to mean theflag of their native land. the words "under God" were added in1954, two years before "In God We Trust" became the official mottoof the United States. Today, the pledge reads, "I pledge allegianceto the flag of the United States of America, and to the republicfor which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, withliberty and justice for all."

Q: What is proper pledge etiquette?

A. According to the U.S. Code, the pledge should be donestanding at attention and facing the flag. Remove any non-religiousheadgear and give the civilian salute by placing the right handover the heart. those in uniform or veterans should remain silent,face the flag and render the military salute.

Q: We have refrigerators at work for our lunches, and they arecrowded with insulated bags. Do the contents of insulated bags gainany advantage if they are in a refrigerator?  Doesn't theinsulation keep the cool out of the bag?  

 — Joan, Bettendorf

A:  the insulation does not keep cool air out of the insulatedbags, according to an official from the Scott County HealthDepartment, Davenport.  There is no added or decreased benefit tohaving the insulated bags in the fridge. 

However, an insulated bag that does not have a cooler pack in itwill not hold food cold by itself. So, if someone's lunch bag is aninsulated bag and the person does not put a cooler pack inside thelunch bag, it needs to be in the refrigerator to keep the foodproperly cooled.

(Answer provided by Times reporter Deirdre Baker.)

Looking at history of Veterans Day

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