Veterans Day Began After WWI as Armistice Day退伍軍人節(jié)源于一戰(zhàn)“停戰(zhàn)日”

Just over a century ago， on the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month （Nov. 11， 1918）， formal hostilities ended in the First World War when an armistice with Germany went into effect. Known originally as Armistice Day， this holiday was meant to honor those who had served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War I and had been discharged in any manner other than dishonorably.

一個(gè)多世紀(jì)前，在1918年11月11日11時(shí)，隨著與德國(guó)簽署的停戰(zhàn)協(xié)議生效，第一次世界大戰(zhàn)正式結(jié)束。這個(gè)公眾假日原本被稱為“停戰(zhàn)日”，旨在紀(jì)念一戰(zhàn)時(shí)在美軍服役并光榮犧牲和退伍的所有人。

Although Nov. 11 was celebrated by much of the American public from its first anniversary in 1919， it was in 1938 that the day became a legal holiday by an Act of Congress and known formally as Armistice Day. In 1945， following the end of World War II， army veteran Raymond Weeks had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans， not just those who died in World War I. Weeks led a delegation to Gen. Dwight Eisenhower， who supported the idea of National Veterans Day. The day took on this broader significance over the next decade and， in 1954， it was formally renamed Veterans Day.

雖然從1919年一周年起美國(guó)公眾已廣泛在11月11日舉行紀(jì)念活動(dòng)，但直到1938年，美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)才通過(guò)法案，將11月11日定為法定假日，并正式命名為“停戰(zhàn)日”。1945年，第二次世界大戰(zhàn)結(jié)束后，退伍軍人雷蒙德·威克斯提出將“停戰(zhàn)日”擴(kuò)大為紀(jì)念所有退伍軍人的節(jié)日，而不僅限于一戰(zhàn)陣亡者。威克斯率團(tuán)拜會(huì)了德懷特·艾森豪威爾將軍，后者支持設(shè)立“全國(guó)退伍軍人節(jié)”的想法。隨后十年，這一假日逐漸被賦予了相應(yīng)的更廣泛意義，并于1954年正式更名為“退伍軍人節(jié)”。

Massachusetts was one of the first states to adopt Armistice Day as an official holiday， beginning with Gov. Calvin Coolidge’s proclamation in 1919. Local organizations， including groups such as the American Legion， the Elks Club and area churches， used the occasion to host commemorations in the form of parades， concerts， balls and sermons. On Nov. 11， 1919， Cambridge1 Mayor Edward Quinn declared that there would be a public gathering in front of City Hall， featuring representatives from the current army and navy departments as well as members of the Grand Army of the Republic （veterans of the Civil War） and Spanish American War Veterans. The event featured a reading of the Declaration of Independence and concluded with the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

馬薩諸塞州是最早將“停戰(zhàn)日”確立為官方節(jié)日的州之一，這始于1919年州長(zhǎng)卡爾文·柯立芝的公告。當(dāng)?shù)氐囊恍┙M織，包括美國(guó)退伍軍人協(xié)會(huì)、麋鹿俱樂(lè)部及周邊教會(huì)等，借此機(jī)會(huì)舉辦各種紀(jì)念活動(dòng)，如游行、音樂(lè)會(huì)、舞會(huì)、布道等。1919年11月11日，劍橋市市長(zhǎng)愛(ài)德華·奎因宣布，將在市政廳前舉行公眾集會(huì)，出席者包括現(xiàn)役陸海軍代表，以及共和國(guó)軍團(tuán)（南北戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)老兵）和美西戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)老兵。活動(dòng)上有人朗讀《獨(dú)立宣言》，最后以齊唱美國(guó)國(guó)歌《星光燦爛的旗幟》（又譯《星條旗》）結(jié)束。

It was clear from this first Armistice Day celebration in Cambridge that the holiday would not be limited to those who had served in World War I. In fact， with the population of soldiers from the Civil War and Spanish American War eras disappearing rapidly， the institution of a new holiday to honor military service took on a wider and more important meaning in helping to keep public memory of those earlier struggles alive. Over the past century—beginning well before the official shift from a World War I-specific holiday to a broader Veterans Day—Armistice Day commemorations have routinely included celebrations of all who had served in the Armed Forces， regardless of period.

從劍橋市首次“停戰(zhàn)日”慶典可以清楚看出，這個(gè)節(jié)日并不局限于紀(jì)念一戰(zhàn)軍人。事實(shí)上，隨著南北戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)和美西戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的老兵人數(shù)迅速減少，設(shè)立一個(gè)新的節(jié)日來(lái)紀(jì)念曾在軍隊(duì)服役的人有了更廣泛且更重要的意義——有助于讓公眾銘記早期的那些戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)。過(guò)去的一個(gè)世紀(jì)，早在“停戰(zhàn)日”從一戰(zhàn)特定節(jié)日正式轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)榧o(jì)念范圍更廣泛的“退伍軍人節(jié)”之前，“停戰(zhàn)日”的活動(dòng)就已習(xí)慣性地將所有曾在美國(guó)軍隊(duì)服役者納入紀(jì)念之列，不論何時(shí)服役。

As the world moved through an economic depression and into another world war， Armistice Day took on a new meaning， marking both the enduring hope of peace and the perilous threat of war. The fact that the United States again found itself embroiled in a global conflict not a quarter-century after the peace of 1918 caused many in Cambridge and around the country to question the continued celebration of Armistice Day. In November 1946， just over a year after the end of World War II， congressman-elect John F. Kennedy spoke to members of the Cambridge American Legion at their annual Armistice Ball. Kennedy remarked， “And now once again the soldiers and sailors and marines have come home—and Armistice Day now honors the dead of another war. Once again there are Cambridge boys among them.” Kennedy’s message to his listeners that night was one of cautious optimism， expressing hope that the world had learned the importance of international cooperation and mutual goodwill from its second foray into global warfare， if not from its first.

隨著世界經(jīng)歷經(jīng)濟(jì)大蕭條并再次陷入世界大戰(zhàn)，“停戰(zhàn)日”被賦予了新的意義，它既象征著對(duì)和平的持久期盼，也凸顯了戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的嚴(yán)峻威脅。1918年迎來(lái)的和平局面維系不到25年，美國(guó)便再次卷入全球沖突，這使劍橋市乃至全美許多人開(kāi)始質(zhì)疑繼續(xù)慶祝“停戰(zhàn)日”的意義。1946年11月，也就是二戰(zhàn)結(jié)束剛過(guò)一年，當(dāng)選國(guó)會(huì)議員的約翰·F.肯尼迪在劍橋美國(guó)退伍軍人協(xié)會(huì)的年度“停戰(zhàn)舞會(huì)”上發(fā)表講話。肯尼迪說(shuō)：“如今，士兵、水兵和海軍陸戰(zhàn)隊(duì)員們又一次回到了家——而‘停戰(zhàn)日’如今也要紀(jì)念另一場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的陣亡者，其中依然有來(lái)自劍橋市的年輕人。”當(dāng)晚，肯尼迪向聽(tīng)眾傳遞的是一種謹(jǐn)慎的樂(lè)觀，他表達(dá)了希望：即便第一次世界大戰(zhàn)沒(méi)有讓人們汲取教訓(xùn)，那么通過(guò)這第二次全球戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)，世界也應(yīng)當(dāng)認(rèn)識(shí)到了國(guó)際合作與相互善意的重要性。

In 1954， the year that Armistice Day was formally changed to Veterans Day， the Cambridge Chronicle reported that a rally would be held Nov. 11 to support the United Nations Charter Review. Created in the wake of World War II to solidify a commitment to international peace and cooperation， the United Nations proved to be both inspiring and divisive2 during the Cold War era. Many in Cambridge and beyond felt that such an international body was the only way to ensure peace， but others felt that the U.N. would give too much power and influence to the Soviet Union.

1954年，“停戰(zhàn)日”正式更名為“退伍軍人節(jié)”。當(dāng)年的《劍橋紀(jì)事報(bào)》報(bào)道稱，11月11日將舉行一場(chǎng)集會(huì)，以支持《聯(lián)合國(guó)憲章》的審議。聯(lián)合國(guó)是二戰(zhàn)后建立的，旨在鞏固國(guó)際和平與合作的承諾。然而，在冷戰(zhàn)時(shí)期，它既鼓舞人心，又充滿爭(zhēng)議。劍橋當(dāng)?shù)丶巴獾赜性S多人認(rèn)為，這樣的國(guó)際組織是確保和平的唯一途徑；但也有人認(rèn)為，聯(lián)合國(guó)會(huì)讓蘇聯(lián)獲得過(guò)多的權(quán)力與影響力。

Other， seemingly smaller changes in the way Veterans Day was commemorated also proved divisive within the city. A 1971 article in the Chronicle states that “Cambridge Veterans of World War I still have a lot of fight left in them. They are hopping mad over the fact that the observance of Veterans Day， originally World War One Armistice Day， has been pushed back from the historically accurate date of Nov. 11 to a Monday in October.” The article’s author goes on to compare the changing of the holiday （it was soon returned to its original Nov. 11 date after public pressure） amounted to the kind of “rewriting of history” of which the Soviet government was guilty—hardly the example Americans should want to follow.

在劍橋市，退伍軍人節(jié)的紀(jì)念方式出現(xiàn)的其他看似較小的變化也曾引發(fā)爭(zhēng)議。1971年，《劍橋紀(jì)事報(bào)》刊文稱：“劍橋的一戰(zhàn)老兵依然斗志不減。他們氣憤至極，因?yàn)椤宋檐娙斯?jié)’——最初的“停戰(zhàn)日”——已由原先歷史上準(zhǔn)確的11月11日改到了10月的某個(gè)星期一。”文章作者進(jìn)一步批評(píng)道，更改節(jié)日日期（在公眾壓力下很快又恢復(fù)為11月11日）無(wú)異于“篡改歷史”，這是蘇聯(lián)政府慣常的做法——顯然不是美國(guó)人應(yīng)該效仿的。

In Cambridge， as in most American cities， World War I has been overshadowed by the legacies of the Civil War before it and World War II after it. Although the United States gave monetary and military aid to our allies for almost the entire course of the war， the country was only directly involved in fighting from 1917-1918—none of which happened on American soil. Because it was so closely identified with Europe and its colonies， World War I received relatively little attention in the public sphere after the first few years after its end. The looming economic crisis that would become the Great Depression， which in turn segued into the Second World War， meant that World War I got short shrift in the area of public commemoration. In fact， the only significant memorial to the Cantabrigians3 who fought in World War I is a work by Boston sculptor Karl Skoog， “The Supreme Sacrifice，” which was installed in the Cambridge Cemetery in 1922. Because this sculpture sits on cemetery grounds， instead of in a well-traveled location such as Cambridge Common， it—and the city’s history in World War I—remains elusive.

與大多數(shù)美國(guó)城市一樣，在劍橋市，一戰(zhàn)的影響往往被之前的南北戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)和之后的二戰(zhàn)所掩蓋。雖然美國(guó)在幾乎整個(gè)一戰(zhàn)期間都向盟國(guó)提供了資金和軍事援助，但真正直接參戰(zhàn)的時(shí)間僅限于1917至1918年，且戰(zhàn)事從未發(fā)生在美國(guó)本土。由于一戰(zhàn)與歐洲及其殖民地緊密相關(guān)，戰(zhàn)后沒(méi)幾年，美國(guó)公眾就不大關(guān)注了。隨之而來(lái)的經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)最終演變?yōu)榇笫挆l，進(jìn)而引發(fā)二戰(zhàn)，更使一戰(zhàn)在公共紀(jì)念方面所獲重視十分有限。事實(shí)上，唯一為參加一戰(zhàn)的劍橋老兵所立的重要紀(jì)念物是波士頓雕塑家卡爾·斯庫(kù)格的作品《至高無(wú)上的犧牲》，于1922年安放在劍橋公墓。由于位于墓園內(nèi)而非劍橋公園這樣的人流密集處，這座雕塑——以及劍橋市在一戰(zhàn)中的歷史——始終鮮有人問(wèn)津。

As we prepare to once again mark the Veterans Day holiday， it is worth remembering its origins as Armistice Day and understanding the sense of hope that accompanied the end of World War I and what the world hoped would be a new dawn of international peace and security.

在我們?cè)俅斡瓉?lái)退伍軍人節(jié)之際，有必要回顧這一節(jié)日作為“停戰(zhàn)日”的起源，并銘記一戰(zhàn)結(jié)束時(shí)它所承載的希望——世界曾寄望于一個(gè)國(guó)際和平與安全新紀(jì)元的到來(lái)。

（譯者單位：北京化工大學(xué)）

1劍橋市，位于美國(guó)馬薩諸塞州波士頓以北，與波士頓隔查爾斯河相望，是一座以高等教育、科研創(chuàng)新和文化多樣性著稱的城市。

2 divisive分裂的，造成不和的。

3 Cantabrigian馬薩諸塞州劍橋市當(dāng)?shù)厝嘶蚓用瘛?/p>