Veterans Day is a federal holiday in the United States that pays tribute to all American military veterans who have served in the United States Armed Forces, living or deceased, but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime. Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is observed annually on November 11th on the anniversary of the end of World War I.
Veterans Day is distinctly different from Memorial Day, which is also a United States public holiday which is celebrated in May. The former celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, while the latter is a day that belongs to honoring those service members who had died while in military service.
The History of Veterans Day
Veterans Day, as we know it today, has evolved over the years. Originally conceived of as a day to honor the fallen soldiers of World War I, it was later amended to honor all veterans that have served their country in times of war and in times of peace, living and deceased. The name and date of the holiday, from its original inception in 1919, were also changed.
The history of this day goes back to when World War I officially ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 when the Armistice with Germany went into effect.
Veterans Day, originally celebrated as Armistice Day (aka Remembrance Day) was first issued on November 11, 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson, a year after the end of World War I. The purpose of Armistice Day was to honor the fallen soldiers of the Great War for their sacrifice and bravery. Congress officially made Armistice Day a legal holiday in 1926 to be celebrated each year on November 11th.
Canada and Great Britain also have dedicated holidays, Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, that also mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. Though the names and dates may be different, the intent is the same, which is to honor all service members in the military veterans who were lost in battle.
In 1945, World War II veteran Raymond Weeks had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans rather than just the ones who died in World War I. He proposed this to General Dwight Eisenhower (who later became President) who was all for the idea. Weeks then organized the first “Veterans Day” celebration in 1945.
Nine years later, after the US had been through both World War II and the Korean War, President Eisenhower and the 83rd U.S. Congress — at the insistence of veteran organizations — officially amended “Armistice Day” and renamed it “Veterans Day” on June 1, 1954. November 11th officially became a day to honor American veterans of all wars and those serving in peace, both living and deceased.
Though it is currently and was originally celebrated on November 11, the date was moved to the fourth Monday of October in 1971 in accordance with the new Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved a number of federal holidays to Mondays. The change was designed to schedule certain holidays so that workers had a number of long weekends throughout the year. However, it became a bit controversial because many people felt that, out of respect, certain federal holidays should be celebrated on the date they actually commemorated.
In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed a law that returned the annual observance of this day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. While the legal holiday remains on November 11, if that date happens to be on a Saturday or Sunday, then organizations that formally observe the holiday will normally be closed on the adjacent Friday or Monday, respectively.
Today, the United States has approximately 19.5 million veterans that we honor each year. The national importance of Veterans Day is to celebrate and honor all of America’s veterans for their bravery, sacrifice, and love for their country. It’s a chance to thank people for risking their lives to defend America, to reflect on the importance of peace and the role that all veterans play in that. It also draws attention to the challenges facing many veterans.
