Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola’s Aviation Memorial Chapel hosted a ceremony Nov. 11 recognizing the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

Seventy-five service members and community members attended the Armistice ceremony, which was designed to recognize the centennial anniversary of the end of World War I as well as express appreciation and gratitude for service members from all eras of the United States Armed Forces.

NAS Pensacola Public Works Officer Cmdr. Ancelmo McCarthy served as the event’s guest speaker, and noted the importance of the occasion to the guests.   

“I want to recognize all those among us who have been a part of the great brotherhood and sisterhood we call the U.S. military – our veterans, active-duty service members, guardsmen and reservists. It is your service and sacrifice that has kept our country safe and free,” he said. “And while we’ve been involved in several conflicts since the formation of our great country, Nov. 11, 2018, marks a century since the end of one of the most devastating wars the world has known. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the fighting of World War I ended in a century ago. Due to the conclusion of “The War to End All Wars,” Nov. 11 became a universally recognized day of celebration.”

The day was originally declared “Armistice Day” eight years after the end of World War I and honored only veterans of that war. Then in 1954, after World War II and the Korean War, it was renamed “Veterans Day” in the United States to honor all veterans who served America in war and defended democracy.

During the brief ceremony, a bell was rung 11 times at 11:11 a.m., commemorating the more than 16 million service members and civilians who were killed during World War I, as well as paying homage to the 100th anniversary of the signing of the armistice which effectively ended one of the deadliest conflicts in history. 

McCarthy also said that although naval aviation was in its infancy during World War I, NAS Pensacola played an integral role in training future aviators.

“Those who served at NAS Pensacola during WWI were training aviators and maintenance personnel a century ago,” he said. “Nearly every pilot who has spent time in a U.S. Navy or Marine Corps aircraft has begun their career here, at the ‘Cradle of Naval Aviation,’ and they fought to protect our country, to maintain our way of life.”

The date is a national holiday in France, and was declared a national holiday in many Allied nations. In some countries, including the United States, Armistice Day coincides with Remembrance Day and Veterans Day, and other public holidays. Armistice Day is not celebrated in Germany, but a German national day of mourning – Volkstrauertag – has, since 1952, been observed two Sundays before the first day of Advent.

NAS Pensacola, referred to as the “Cradle of Naval Aviation,” is designed to support operational and training missions of tenant commands, including Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC), the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT), Marine Aviation Training Support Groups (MATSG) 21 and 23 and is the headquarters for Naval Education and Training Command (NETC).

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