This weekend we will honor the service of all Americans who have fought and died for our freedoms with the observance of Veterans Day.

In 1926, Congress officially designated November 11^th as Armistice Day, which commemorated the anniversary of the end of World War I eight years earlier. In 1938, another act of Congress designated Nov. 11^th a national holiday.

In 1954, President Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming Nov. 11^th be known as Veterans Day and called for Americans everywhere to “rededicate themselves to the cause of peace.”

“As we celebrate Veterans Day in 2012, I want to thank the people who I served with and remember their sacrifice for our country,” said Sen. Steve Hobbs, a veteran of the conflicts in Iraq and Kosovo. “Since the founding of our nation, men and women from all walks of life have fought and died to protect the freedoms we hold dear and they continue to do so to this very day. Every one of us owes them a debt of gratitude.”