Veterans Day

 

holiday formerly observed in the United States as Armistice Day in commemoration of the signing of the Armistice ending World War I. Nov. 11 officially became Veterans' Day on May 24, 1954, by act of Congress. The day is set aside in honor of all those who have fought in defense of the United States.

Veterans Day
Joseph Ambrose, an 86-year-old World War I veteran, attends the dedication day parade for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1982, holding the flag that covered the casket of his son, who had been killed in the Korean War.
Official name	Veterans Day
Observed by	United States
Type	Federal (and most U.S. states)
Significance	Honors the 24.9 million military veterans in the United States
Date	November 11 (or nearest weekday)
Observances	Parades, school history projects, shopping
Related to	Armistice Day

Veterans Day is an American holiday honoring military veterans. Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, it is celebrated on the same day as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. (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.)

Veterans Day is largely intended to thank living veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to [United States] national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served - not only those who died - have sacrificed and done their duty.^[1]

The holiday is commonly misprinted as Veteran's Day or Veterans' Day in calendars and advertisements.

History

Armistice Day was first commemorated in the United States by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, and 30 states made it a legal holiday. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 inviting all States to observe the day, and made it a legal holiday nationwide in 1938. It has been observed annually on November 11 since then - first as Armistice Day, later as Veterans Day. On November 11, 1953, the citizens of Emporia, Kansas staged a Veterans Day observance in lieu of an Armistice Day remembrance. Congressman Ed Rees of Emporia, Kansas, subsequently introduced legislation in the United States House of Representatives to change the name of Armistice Day to Veterans Day.^[2] Following a letter-writing campaign to secure the support of all state governors in the observance of this new holiday, the name change was enacted on June 1, 1954, to honor those who served.

Observance

When holidays in the United States, with the exception of New Year's Day, Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day and Independence Day were moved to Mondays to create long holiday weekends, the celebration was moved to the fourth Monday of October. After protests by veterans groups, it was moved back to November 11 in order to make the holiday more important. It had the opposite effect. Even though it is a federal and state holiday, it is formally observed in most parts of the United States only by government offices and banks. Some schools and almost all businesses stay open on regular schedules. Most public transit systems thus stay on regular schedules. Most businesses cite the holiday's proximity to Thanksgiving (when many businesses close for a four-day weekend) as the main reason for staying open on Veterans Day, but some schools and most businesses also stay open on Columbus Day, a full month earlier.

References

External links

• Official Website United States Department of Veterans Affairs
• 5 USC 6103 (Federal Holidays) at Cornell University's on-line United States Code

United States Federal Holidays
New Year's Day • Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. • Inauguration Day • Washington's Birthday • Memorial Day Independence Day • Labor Day • Columbus Day • Veterans Day • Thanksgiving Day • Christmas Day

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