DEAR ABBY: Last Nov. 11, when we celebrated Veterans Day, I was asked why veterans used to stand facing east at 11 a.m. for two minutes of silence. The only answer I could find was "east is the direction of Europe."
Do you have any background information on this tradition? -- MARK H. GRAMS, DODGE COUNTY VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE, JUNEAU, WIS.
DEAR MARK: Your research was correct. The armistice that ended World War I was signed on Nov. 11, 1918, near Paris, France. Although it was signed at 5 a.m. in a railroad car in the forest of Compiegne north of Paris, the hostilities were not formally ended until 11 a.m.
The custom of facing east was a tribute to the 10 million military personnel who died and the 20 million who were wounded. Tragically, at least 5 million civilians were lost to starvation and disease during that devastating war.