The Botetourt County Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution met on Saturday, November 9, at The Glebe. At the end of the meeting, Daughters gathered around and wrote thank you for your service cards for veterans. These cards were written anonymously to men and women who have served their country in the military.
On Monday, November 11, several members gathered at a table near the fireplace on the main floor of The Glebe. Here, they greeted residents who stopped by for a chat, to pick up a thank you card, a veteran’s button, a patriotic candy, or to look through a stereopticon which held pictures of scenes from World War I. Veterans who stopped by shared stories from their time serving in the Pacific Theater during World War II through the war in Iraq; it was a delight to hear their stories. The Glebe had also set up tables for these veterans to display their mementoes from their time in the service. DAR members and chapters support the men and women who have served in the armed forces, both abroad and at home.
In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day by declaring: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations….” In 1938, an act of Congress made the 11th of November a legal holiday – a day to be known thereafter as “Armistice Day.” On June 1, 1954, legislation passed by the 83rd Congress declared November 11th become a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a women’s service organization whose members can trace their lineage to an individual who contributed to securing American independence during the Revolutionary War. Today’s DAR is dynamic and diverse, with over 185,000 members in 3,000 chapters in the United States and abroad. Over 1 million members have joined the organization since its founding in 1890.
~ Botetourt DAR
