Armistice Day, 1 Samuel 8, and the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval

Amy L. Dalton
Published 11 November 2024

On Armistice Day, Take Action for CEASEFIRE

Today, November 11, is now known in the United States as “Veteran’s Day.” But did you know that it’s original name was Armistice Day? “Armistice,’ which basically means “CEASEFIRE,” refers to the day that World War I was officially ended through a negotiated truce. The signing of the armistice agreement was accompanied by a strong feeling across borders and continents that the possibility of a world without war was within reach. For decades in the United States and elsewhere, this day was called Armistice Day, and was identified as a day to mourn and remember all those who lost their life in war, and to recommit to the ending of all war — including by the U.S. government, as recorded in the 1938 act which made the day a legal holiday.

Yesterday, my daughter and I attended a service at the First Parish Billerica Unitarian Universalist in which a member of Veterans For Peace spoke about their effort to reclaim the original intent of Armistice Day. Doug Stuart shared his perspective that the decision to change the name to Veteran’s Day, undertaken in 1954 by President Dwight Eisenhower, was made under pressure, and he emphasized that Eisenhower changed only the name, and not the purpose, of the day. For the past ten years, Veterans For Peace has been working to spread awareness about the original peace orientation of Armistice Day, and to galvanize Americans reclaim this call to ceasefire, now. A collection of their resources and analysis can be found at https://www.veteransforpeace.org/take-action/armistice-day

Veterans for Peace is one of a handful of organizations that works to bring together veterans whose experiences in the military have convinced them that we must work to end war. Other such efforts include About Face (formerly Iraq Veterans Against the War), Military Families Speak Out, and the Center on Conscience & War. Stuart shared about how, in his experience, these groups help servicemembers to address the moral injuries that they have experienced through participating in war.

For Stuart, speaking out has been a key part of this healing. Quoting Smedley Butler, he asserted that war is a “racket” in which a tiny few benefit, while the vast majority of people on both sides are harmed. When Stuart said this, I immediately thought of a scripture from 1 Samuel 8 in which God and the prophet are deliberating about the people’s desire for a king to “rule over them.” God argues that the Israelites should not want this, because that king will immediately act to make use of the people rather than helping them. Among the abuses God asserts that kings will commit are: the taking the people’s sons to be warriors, the forcing of the people to labor to make the implements of war, and the taking of the food and goods produced by the people to give to the upper classes of ranking officers and commanders. Clearly, God sees that an entrenched ruling class and militarized culture are closely linked.

The scripture says that despite this divine warning, the people maintained their demand for a king, and so God relented, and allowed this course in history to open up. And still we are in the midst of it.

Yet Armistice Day marks a moment in our recent history when we saw the possibility of moving past it. We should honor and remember this day, and work to bring its promise to fruition.

Those who live in the United States can take action TODAY for a ceasefire in Palestine-Israel by asking key senators to support blocking the most recent $20 billion arms transfer to Israel. Use this link to ask them to support the “Joint Resolutions of Disapproval” introduced by Senators Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch, and Jeff Merkley. There are also statewide efforts in 26 states to pressure individual senators to support the JRDs. You can find the states with an active campaign HERE. Most have links to letters you can sign on to. The votes on these bills are expected by mid-November, so right now is the perfect time to record your opinion.

For further learning into these themes, Doug Stuart recommends the following books:

War is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America’s Most Decorated Soldier, Smedley Darlington Butler https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781510704275/war-is-a-racket/

Devil Dog: The Amazing True Story of the Man Who Saved America by David Talbot https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Devil-Dog/David-Talbot/9781451683585

War and Empire: The American Way of Life by Paul L. Atwood https://www.plutobooks.com/9781783715817/war-and-empire/

The Sacking of Fallujah: A People’s History by Ross Caputi, Richard Hil and Donna Mulhearn https://www.umasspress.com/9781625344380/the-sacking-of-fallujah/

Honor all souls killed in war! Demand a Ceasefire Now!!