He had lost family in World War II and thought all American veterans of all wars should be honored on November 11. So he formed a committee, and in 1953, the city of Emporia celebrated Veterans Day. Ed Reese, Emporia's congressman, loved the idea and took it to Washington. President Eisenhower, who was another Kansan, liked King's idea, too. In 1954, Eisenhower formally changed November 11 to Veterans Day and invited some of Emporia's residents to be there when he signed the bill