Why We Should Still Observe Armistice Day

June 18, 1914, a 19-year old Serbian (or Yugoslav) nationalist named Gavrilo Princip assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne during a state visit to Sarajevo.

During the Austrian investigation and trial, police learned that Princip had been recruited, equipped and trained for the mission by the intelligence service of the Kingdom of Serbia. When Serbia refused to turn over those responsible to Austria, Austria declared war on Serbia. Russia came to Serbia's defense and declared war on Austria. Germany came to Austria's defense. France came to the defense of Russia. England joined with France in defense of Belgium.

All of these mobilizations were governed by prewar treaties.

Over the ensuing four years, 65 million European soldiers and sailors were mobilized. In 1917, they were joined by nearly five million Americans. Eight and a half million died in battle, 21 million were wounded and nearly eight million captured.

The forces of Austria-Hungary suffered 90 percent casualties (dead, wounded, captured). Germany had 65% casualties; Russia 76%; British Empire 36%; France 73%; Italy 39%; United States 7%. That doesn't include civilian deaths in Belgium and Poland from a brutal occupation, 20 million from the ensuing Russian civil war or countless other internal and international conflicts after the Armistice.

By the time of the Armistice, Europe was exhausted by war. The Russian, Austro-Hungarian, German and Turkish empires were falling apart. The British and French empires were badly wounded.

We are still picking up the pieces in the Balkans, the Middle East, the Aegean, Central Asia and the remnants of European colonies in South and Southeast Asia.

If we still observed Armistice Day, it would provide us with an annual "teachable moment" to recall the profound connections between that time and our own.