Although many soldiers did not come home following World War I, the number of U.S. casualties was small compared to that of European armies. Still, the 585 Days between Declaration of War on April 6, 1917, and the Armistice of November 11, 1918, comprised a deadly period in American military history. In the first years following the war, most veterans believed that the losses were justified and essential in the struggle to defeat Germany and end the war. They wanted to believe with all their hearts that they had truly secured a lasting peace for the world.