Veterans Day

There are approximately 24.9 million military veterans alive in the United States today and that number is constantly growing.

Veterans Day, formerly called Armistice Day, is the U.S. holiday that commemorates the contributions of those who have served in its military. Sometimes people are confused about the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day because they both honor the armed services. However, there is a significant difference. Veterans Day is the occasion for honoring those who are still living. The date falls on the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended the First World War. It is celebrated as a federal holiday on November 11. All 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. 

The first Armistice Day was commemorated in the United States in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson, and many states made it a legal holiday thereafter. In 1926, Congress passed a resolution inviting all Americans to observe the day and the holiday became official in 1938. Since then, the holiday has been observed annually on November 11-first as Armistice Day, then later as Veterans Day-except for a brief period when it was celebrated on the fourth Monday in October.

Although Veterans Day is a federal holiday and public schools and government institutions are closed (including the U.S. Postal Service), very few businesses close and private delivery services stay operational. Also, most public transit systems run on limited (Sunday) schedules, even though they are usually run by the local government. Most businesses claim that because Veterans Day occurs only two weeks before Thanksgiving (when most corporations close for a four-day weekend), it would be an economic hardship for them to shut down in observance of Veterans Day, too.

On November 11th, 1953, the citizens of Emporia, Kansas staged a Veterans Day observance instead of an Armistice Day remembrance. Representative Ed Rees of Emporia, Kansas, subsequently introduced legislation into the House of Representatives to officially change the holiday name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day. Following a letter writing campaign to secure the support of all state governors in the observance of this new holiday, the name of the holiday was changed to Veterans Day (this law was enacted June 1, 1954), to honor all those, living or dead, who had served in any American war. 

Of course, since then the day has evolved as a time for honoring those living veterans who have served in any branch of the U.S. military, whether during wartime or peacetime. As mentioned above, Memorial Day is the complementary U.S. holiday that honors those armed forces members who have died, whether or not their death was during their term of military service. In the past, there has been some discussion about whether a person's veteran status depends upon their retirement or discharge from any of the armed forces. However, the term, veteran, applies to any person that has honorably served their country during their period of enlistment or that has served in a war zone as directed by their superior officers or as directed by lawful orders given by their country. 

While different communities have different activities to celebrate Veterans Day, the most common celebration is a parade. Parades usually include local ROTCs (Reserve Officer Training Corps) and military organizations as well as the typical high school bands and floats that one sees in most U.S. parades. It is moving to see the different generations of veterans participating in the parade, too many in wheelchairs with missing limbs, all proudly wearing their service uniforms. Most contemporary Veterans Day parades now include a contingent of Veterans for Peace or Veterans Against War. The parade spectators who line the streets to watch wave small American flags and cheer for their heroes.

Another way that Veterans Day is observed in the United States is through the showing of Old Glory, the American flag. It is a day when Americans take out their red, white and blue garb, wearing shirts and sweatshirts with American flags emblazoned on them or flying the American flag from their houses. 

Last but not least, it would not be an American holiday without food! Whether at a small town parade or in somebody's back yard barbeque, look for traditional American fare on this date. Typical dishes include hamburgers and hot dogs, along with potato salad and ice cream!

This page is based on a page from Wikipedia entitled Veterans Day. You can find the page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veteran%27s_Day. Wikipedia is open source. That means anyone is free to use it and alter it as long as they credit the source. Wikipedia is not copyright; it is leftright. The Veterans Day related text on this page is also leftright. You are free to use it as you like as long as you credit Aaron Teaches and Wikipedia for our authorship. This means that if you want to use this, you must include a statement crediting us and provide links to Aaron Teaches and Wikipedia.