Until 1958, Veterans Day used to be called Armistice Day, as
Nov. 11 marked the day on which the armistice that ended World
War I took place. That makes Veterans Day of 2012 particularly
significant, as it marks the first time in history that there
are no more living veterans alive from World War I. The last
surviving veteran, Florence Green of England, died on Feb. 4 of
this year. She was 15 days short of being 111. The last American
vet of the Great War, Frank Buckles of West Virginia, died in
February of 2011. He was also 110 years old. More than 30
countries fought during the war and more than 70 million men and
women were activated for duty. Nearly 4.5 million Americans
fought in the Great War, of whom over 60,000 were from
Connecticut. Among the more notable American veterans of the war
was an aviator from Madison named Paul Pavelka. Pavelka was the
son of Hungarian immigrant parents named Paul and Anna Pavelka.
The parents had emigrated to New York City and soon moved to
Madison, where they purchased a