November 11, 1918, was the day the carnage that engulfed a continent and butchered an entire generation finally came to an end. I imagine a chilling silence; an unspoken and unanswerable question arose. Everyone looked around: “Why did this happen?” It’s a somber moment of reflection—sadness mixed with a sliver of hope that we can emerge from the trauma a little more humane, at least for a little while. It’s a reminder that conflict ends; in its wake is devastation and destruction. It’s not simply peace for peace’s sake, but peace after an intimate knowledge of the cost of war. Armistice Day, to me, is a feeling. It’s putting yourself in that uncomfortable moment in the fall of 1918 because, when we, as a society, forget that moment, we are vulnerable to repeat the follies of the past. (11-11-2026)

Author – US Navy SEAL – Class 281 – Medic/Sniper – 2008-2015