By Jane Stoever
Ring a bell at 11:00 am on Nov. 11, asks Theodore John, president of the Kansas City Veterans for Peace – Chapter 97. “At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, we ring a bell, and ask others to join us in ringing a bell wherever they are, to remember Armistice Day at the end of World War I. In 1918, bells rang out throughout the US and Europe celebrating the end of the war,” he says.
Veterans for Peace members ask us to use the original name of the day, Armistice Day, instead of the current name, Veterans Day. “We remember that there was a time in our country when we as a nation were committed to the cause of peace in the world. Armistice means an agreement to end fighting,” says John.
The Vets also invite all to their annual bell-ringing to mark the signing of the ceasefire agreement. It’s worth noting that battles were waged until 11am on 11/11/18, with 2,738 men dying on the last day of the war. To join the Vets on 11/11, come at 10:30am to Liberty Memorial (at 2 Memorial Dr.) in Kansas City, MO, parking south of the tall memorial. “It’s typically terrible weather,” says John. Bundle up! The ringing of the peace bell that John himself made will occur right at 11am.
–Jane Stoever is a PeaceWorks KC writer. (c) 2023, Jane Stoever, Theodore John, Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 International License.
