Celebrating Veterans Day
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November 11, 2022, is Veterans Day. The federal holiday honors the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces. This includes everyone who has served in the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, National Guard, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
Veterans Day often gets confused with Memorial Day. Both honor the American military. But they serve different purposes. Memorial Day commemorates US soldiers who have died in a war. Veterans Day celebrates all US military veterans.
US President Woodrow Wilson established Armistice Day — as it was then called — on November 11, 1919. It was a day to honor World War I soldiers. The date marked the first anniversary of the November 11, 1918, ceasefire agreement, or armistice, between the Allied Nations and Germany. It led to the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the war on June 28, 1919. Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 to include the soldiers that fought in World War II (1939 -1945) and the Korean War (1950 - 1953).
Veterans Day continued to be celebrated on November 11 until the 1968 Uniform Holiday Bill. The law was passed to enable Americans to enjoy three-day weekends. It changed the dates of four federal holidays to a predetermined Monday. They include Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day. This bill moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday of October. But due to the date's historical significance, many states continued to observe Veterans Day on November 11.
On September 20, 1975, President Gerald Ford ended the confusion by changing Veterans Day to its original date. The law went into effect in 1978. Since then, the holiday has always been celebrated on November 11. Many other countries also honor their soldiers on November 11. France and New Zealand still refer to the holiday as Armistice Day. The UK, Australia, and Canada call it Remembrance Day. Malta and South Africa celebrate it as Poppy Day.
There are many ways to appreciate the brave US servicemen and women on this special day. Participate in your city or town's Veterans Day parade. Invite the veterans in your family or neighborhood for a meal and learn about their experiences. You can also deliver some food and supplies to a nearby veteran center. Better still, spend time reading or talking to soldiers who are too old or injured to leave their homes.
Happy Veterans Day!
Resources: History.com, VA.gov
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102 Comments
- 204654almost 2 yearsthx veterans
- kyjukonukidaalmost 2 yearsnice
- 142891almost 2 yearshappy Veterans Day
- Mrs. Zabilanskyalmost 2 yearsThank you to all veterans!
- sweatalmost 2 yearshappy early Veterans day
- milkfanforeveralmost 2 yearsHappy Veterans Day
- majestic_tiger1almost 2 yearswell i have to go to a day camp
- bmfbestiesalmost 2 yearsHappy veterans day/week R.I.P to all the soldiers who have fallen :(
- cjlbestiesalmost 2 yearsVeterans go through a lot so if you have a Veteran in your family you give them the best treatment you can
- emmy901almost 2 yearsMy uncle is in the military, national guards and the Navy we really never see him.😫😭😓
- emmy901almost 2 yearsMy uncle is in the military. Last year he was gone doing his job. He was gone for 14months I missed him so much.when he got home we had a welcome back party it was awesome! He has stitches on his side of his stomach about 9 inches long it is healing really good. It looked like he got stabbed. But god helped him. He suppose to be going all over the country again soon. We always send a box of pictures to him every month what's been going on. Also my aunt is in the army. Veterans day is an amazing day to us and I love that every person out here helps.🙂
- vanessa5almost 2 yearsThat is amazing! Thanks for sharing your story. I really enjoyed reading this. I also liked the idea of sending a box of pictures monthly to your uncle. Your uncle sounds like a very brave soldier, and I hope he heals very well!