Veterans Day is an official national holiday celebrated on November 11 to honor of all those who have served and sacrificed in the United States Armed Forces. This year Veterans Day is observed as a federal holiday on Friday, November 10, since the 11th fall on a Saturday. The original holiday was founded as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day to mark the end of the First World War, which ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Over 50,000 Americans died in combat; the toll for other nations was in the many millions. Thousands more American “doughboys” perished of the Spanish Flu epidemic in the winter of 1918-19 while still in France.

We now celebrate Veterans Day to honor all who served in the armed forces, in both peacetime and war. Beef Jerky Outlet Franchise takes a special interest in Veterans Day, in part because so many of our Franchise Partners and teammates have served in the armed forces and because it’s just the right thing to do. On the corporate level, BJOF has helped fundraise for Wounded Warrior, and on the store level many of our participating franchisees offer a 10% discount for veterans, active duty and first responders. Many BJO stores display a “Wall of Honor” as a tribute to local veterans who have served in the US Armed Forces.

Remember your own veteran with a trip to the local Beef Jerky Outlet store. Pick up a Beef Jerky Outlet gift card or combo gift box for the veteran in your life. We know from experience that vets and first responders are particularly fond of BJO’s best-selling beef jerky flavors like Prime Rib, Cherry Maple, Cajun BBQ Brisket and Honey BBQ. Please don’t forget the older vets, they appreciate the gift and recognition, even if they are too proud to show it. The rest of this blog is a story about an American combat battalion whose unmatched heroism lead to the ending of the First World War on November 11, 1918.

The First World War is almost forgotten history, now that the last living veteran of that conflict has passed away. This was the war in which the great American commanders Pershing, MacArthur, Patton and Marshall proved their metal. The war ended on November 11 because of the offensive led by the 1.2 million strong American Expeditionary Force into the rugged Argonne Forest in German occupied France. The tip of the American spearhead was the “Lost Battalion” of the US 77th Division.

The nine companies of the Lost Battalion consisted mostly of street-wise young men from the toughest boroughs of New York City. The Germans thought they were fighting a bunch of gangsters. And they were. Of the 554 soldiers of the Lost Battalion who went into the Argonne Forest, only 194 walked out; the rest were killed, missing or wounded. After moving to the most forward position in the American lines, the Lost Battalion was surrounded by Germans. The brave New Yorkers fought off the enemy for six days, hurling back repeated stormtrooper attacks.

The exact position of the Lost Battalion was unknown to the American command for this entire period. They were found and relieved only after sending out their last French-donated carrier pigeon, Cher Ami. The heroic pigeon has been preserved, and now resides on display in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. The sacrifice of the Lost Battalion allowed the Americans to break through the German lines, leading to the declaration of the Armistice a month later, on November 11 at 11:00 a.m.

If you are interested in learning more about the Lost Battalion, there is an excellent 2001 film starring Rick Schroeder as the unit commander, Maj. Charles W. Whittlesey. The movie is very realistic and really honors the valiant soldiers who sacrificed so much and contributed to the origins of Veterans Day. A full-length version is available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/PyJwtC8kwJM, or try Netflix for a higher resolution version. The “doughboys” of the Lost Battalion certainly deserved to be on everyone’s “Wall of Honor.”