Imagine you're standing outside on a chilly November morning. You're watching a parade go down Main Street in your town.

Marching bands play patriotic music. Flags wave in the cool breeze. Then you see them. Veterans of all ages walk by in their uniforms.

Some are young, some have gray hair. Some ride in wheelchairs or use canes. The crowd claps and cheers.

Little kids wave American flags.

Your teacher told you this is Veterans Day and it's happening this month.

But what is Veterans Day really about and why do we celebrate it every November 11th?

The story behind this special holiday is pretty amazing.

To understand Veterans Day, we need to go back to November 11th, 1918.

That's more than 100 years ago!

On that day, something incredible happened.

World War I, which people called the Great War back then, came to an end.

This war had been going on for more than four years.

Countries all across Europe and beyond had been fighting. Millions of soldiers and civilians had died.

It was one of the deadliest wars in history. The fighting didn't just stop randomly.

The countries that were at war signed an agreement called an armistice.

That's a fancy word that means they agreed to stop fighting.

But here's what makes November 11th so special.

The armistice went into effect at a very specific time.

It started at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

In other words, fighting stopped at 11 o'clock in the morning on November 11th, 1918.

Can you imagine being a soldier and watching the clock tick toward 11 a.m?

Knowing that when it struck, the war would be over?

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