It wouldn’t be Veterans Day at WWE.com without a phone call to say “thank you” to WWE’s most famous veteran, WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter.

Today is a very special Veterans Day as the date is 11.11.11 and major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. Thus, today is also Armistice Day in New Zealand, France and Belgium and Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

Calling Sarge very early in the morning to wish him a happy Veterans Day wasn’t an issue for the legend.

“We veterans know never to let our enemies eat our breakfast. When you civilians are asleep, we military men are up. When you finally wake up, we’ve been up,” the former WWE Champion said with a chuckle.

A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, WWE’s current goodwill ambassador was thrilled to take a few moments from his schedule of interviews and appearances for WWE and various charitable causes to give us a history lesson about Veterans Day.

Ten-hut! Class is now is session. And that’s an order!

United States President, Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for Nov. 11, 1919. The United States Congress passed a concurrent resolution seven years later on June 4, 1926, requesting that the President Calvin Coolidge issue another proclamation to observe November 11 with appropriate ceremonies. 1938, Congress made the Nov. 11 an annual legal holiday and in 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed into law that Armistice Day would observe the contributions of all veterans, not just those of World War I and the day was renamed Veterans Day.

Although originally scheduled for celebration on November 11 of every year, starting in 1971 in accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, Veterans Day was moved to the fourth Monday of October. In 1978, it was moved back to its original celebration on Nov. 11.

The call with Sarge ended with “If there are no further questions … you’re dismissed … and thanks for call … maggots [laughing].

No. Thank you, Sarge, and thank you to all of our veterans who fought to protect our freedom.