Many make the mistake of confusing Veterans Day with Memorial Day a common misunderstanding, Memorial Day, the fourth Monday in May honors American service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle, while Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans living or dead, especially veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.
There are over 19.5 million heroes who have served in the U.S. military. Unlike many other holidays that follow a specific cadence each year, like Memorial Day on the last Monday in May, or Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November, Veterans Day is a federal holiday that always falls on November 11. This date is very important because it holds both historic and symbolic roots dating back to World War I.
“I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” Nathan Hale, 1776, in his alleged last words prior to being executed by the British for being a spy.
On November 11, 1918, an armistice between Germany and the Allied nations effectively ended the Great War, World War 1 after millions of casualties. It signaled the first time in more than four years that guns and cannons on the Western Front fell quiet. The war officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed in June 1919.
On the first anniversary of the armistice, meaning the formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting, but it is not necessarily the end of a war. President Woodrow Wilson declared that November 11 would be celebrated as Armistice Day with parades, public meetings and a two minute pause of business at 11:00 a.m.
That same day, the United Kingdom’s Unknown Warrior was transported from France to London and buried in Westminster Abbey to commemorate those who lost their lives during World War I. France’s Unknown Soldier was simultaneously buried in Paris at the base of the Arc de Triomphe.
A year later, the United States followed suit by burying four unidentified U.S. military personnel in Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to represent those who gave their lives during the war. A year later, the United States followed suit by burying four unidentified U.S. military personnel in Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to represent those who gave their lives during the war.
“Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters, U.S.; let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, and there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship.” Civil rights leader and formerly enslaved worker Frederick Douglass, 1863, in remarks encouraging the enlistment of African American soldiers during the Civil War.
In 1926, the United States Congress passed a resolution authorizing the president to recognize and honor the armistice on November 11. An act approved by Congress in 1938 made Armistice Day a legal national holiday in recognition of World War I veterans. In 1954, “Armistice Day” was renamed “Veterans Day” when service members who had fought in World War II and in the Korean War urged Congress to recognize the American veterans of all wars. President Dwight Eisenhower issued the “Veterans Day Proclamation” several months later to create a Veterans Day National Committee, which ensured to this day that veterans are properly recognized each year.
Another 12 years would pass before Veterans Day was once again changed. The Uniform Holiday Bill moved all four national federal holidays, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Columbus Day to Mondays so federal employees could enjoy three-day weekends.
Another 12 years would pass before Veterans Day was once again changed. The Uniform Holiday Bill moved all four national federal holidays, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Columbus Day to Mondays so federal employees could enjoy three-day weekends.
We must always remember the sacrifices made by the few, from Valley Forge to Kabul american men and women have proudly served, answered the call for freedom so that not only America, but all who seek freedom from oppression can one day live free.
