Remembering the End of WWI
In 1938, one year before the start of WWII the people of Hartford commemorated Armistice Day with a Peace Meeting and Memorial Service. It was in 1938 that Armistice Day was officially made a legal holiday and the article put out by the Hartford Courant is an announcement for both the Peace Meeting and Memorial Service, listing the Reverends and Rabbi that would facilitate the services. Additionally the article mentions the different churches that are holding services and at what times. The fact that only twenty years had passed since the original Armistice Day is evident in this somber news announcement. Much different from the celebratory tone in 1918, the Hartford Courant used the article purely as an announcement platform. The activities themselves also show that the people of Hartford were planning to commemorate the end of WWI with quiet reflection in their churches.
Source: http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/us-home-front-during-world-war-ii
Just as in 1938 the people of Hartford commemorated WWI with somber reflections, but this time they had a second war to remember. 1944 was the year before WWII ended and America had already been involved since 1941 (pearl harbor). This time the Armistice Day commemoration was set to include both WWI and WWI soldiers who had died. The article calls for a "lasting peace" to ensure that the soldiers would not die in vain. In an attempt to remain non-celebratory the article explained that the only display of the day was an exhibition drill on the State Capitol grounds. Additionally, two broadcasts were made to represent veterans of WWI and soldiers of WWII. The Armistice Day of 1944 was a symbol of past triumph, but also discouragement in the prospect of peace. Nevertheless peace was the main goal and the only hope that Americans held on to, especially on such a significant day.
Source: http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/us-home-front-during-world-war-ii
Forty years after Armistice Day, the Hartford Courant emphasized that "the War to end all wars" had in fact done the opposite. Another name for WWI is "The Great War" and at the time it was thought to bring peace to the nations, but in the forty years after its end the Hartford Courant lists 25 wars that took place. Civil wars in Russia, Spain, and wars against nations such as Japan and China are just a few. America itself had fought in both WWII (1939-1945) and the Korean War (1950-1953), which ended two years before this article. The hostility towards Armistice Day in this article only seems natural after American had thought there would be peace, but instead fought in two more wars over the span of forty years.
Source:http://www.history.com/topics/korean-war