US Marks 100th Anniversary of End to WWI With Wreaths and Bells of Peace

The United States marked the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War One on Nov. 11, with celebrations ranging from high-tech light shows to somber gatherings in honor of the country’s military veterans.

More than 100,000 Americans died in World War I. The United States joined the global conflict after declaring war on Germany on April 6, 1917.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen (L), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (3rd L), Labor Secretary Alex Acosta (C), and Secretary of Defense James Mattis, listen as Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie speaks during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on Nov. 11, 2018. Al Drago/Getty Images

The conflict erupted in 1914 after a teenage Bosnian Serb assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife in Sarajevo. That lit the fuse for a war that would rewrite the world order, spell an end to empires, and claim the lives of more than 9 million soldiers.

Lessons learned from World War I are more relevant than ever today, said Dr. Matthew Naylor, President and CEO of the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri.

World War I, also known as the Great War, ended when world leaders at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month signed an armistice ending four years of bloody battles. Americans honor their war heroes, both living and dead, each year on Nov. 11 with ceremonies to mark Veterans Day, a national holiday.

The 100th anniversary of the peace agreement lends an extraordinary look to this year’s commemorative ceremonies around the United States, where wreaths are placed on memorials and bells toll to ring in harmony.

Members of the Honor Guard arrive during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on Nov. 11, 2018. Al Drago/Getty Images

In Washington, the National Cathedral was due to hold an interfaith worship service to remember the 4.7 million Americans who served in World War I and honor the U.S. military’s work preserving peace and liberty since then.

During the 11 a.m. service, the Cathedral led a national tolling of bells called the Bells of Peace, in what organizers called the spirit of tradition, honor, and remembrance.

One of the most striking events is at the museum in Kansas City where a massive light installation appears to cover a memorial in 5,000 poppies. The flowers signify remembrance after Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae saw them growing in a battle-scorched field in Waregem, Belgium, and was inspired to write the poem “In Flanders Fields.”

The illumination covering the memorial in poppies ran for nine consecutive evenings through Veterans Day to recognize the nine million soldiers worldwide who died during World War One.

By Barbara Goldberg