Texas Tech professor Ron Milan explained where the holiday comes from. The Treaty of Versailles ended World War I in 1919, but he said the turning point came earlier.
"Fighting had ceased seven months earlier, when an armistice, or a temporary cessation of hostilities between the Allied Nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month," Milan said.
"Veterans Day is an opportunity for us to pause and reflect on the extraordinary sacrifices made by all of those who have worn the uniform of our United States Military," Wilson said.
Lubbock and its residents celebrate veterans every day, Wilson said. Still, she argued that setting aside November 11 lets people honor everyone who has served on purpose. The All Saints Episcopal School Children's Choir sang for the crowd.
"On this Veterans Day, the city of Lubbock and all citizens recognize and acknowledge the debt we owe to those who have embodied justice, honor, duty, and the unwavering resolve that make up our American ideals," Wilson said.
The day carried the name Armistice Day until Congress changed it to Veterans Day in 1954.