Veterans
Day is a U.S. legal holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars, and
Veterans Day 2019 occurs on Monday, November 11. In 1918, on the 11th hour of
the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice, or temporary cessation of
hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in World War
I, then known as “the Great War.”
Commemorated
in many countries as Armistice Day the following year, November 11th became a
federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II
and the Korean War, Armistice Day became known as Veterans Day.
Armistice Day
The
Treaty of Versailles was signed
on June 28, 1919, marking the official end of World War I. Nonetheless, the
armistice date of November 11, 1918, remained in the public imagination as the
date that marked the end of the conflict.
One year later, in November 1919, U.S.
President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of
Armistice Day. The day’s observation included parades and public gatherings, as
well as a brief pause in business and school activities at 11 a.m.
On November 11, 1921, an unidentified
American soldier killed in the war was buried at Arlington National Cemetery
near Washington, D.C. On the same day the previous year, unidentified soldiers
were laid to rest at Westminster Abbey in London and at the Arc de Triomphe in
Paris.
Did you know? Red poppies, a symbol of World War I from
their appearance in the beloved poem "In Flanders Fields" by John
McCrae, are sold in Canada and the United Kingdom on Remembrance Day to raise
money for veterans or worn in the lapel as a tribute.
On
June 4, 1926, Congress passed a resolution that the “recurring anniversary of
[November 11, 1918] should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises
designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between
nations,” and that the president should issue an annual proclamation calling
for the observance of Armistice Day.
By
that time, 27 state legislatures had made November 11 a legal holiday. An act
approved May 13, 1938 made November 11 a legal Federal holiday, “dedicated to
the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice
Day.'”
In
actuality, there are no U.S. national holidays because the states retain the
right to designate their own, and the government can only designate holidays
for federal employees and for the District of Columbia. In practice, however,
states almost always follow the federal lead.
From Armistice Day to Veterans Day
American effort during World War II saw the
greatest mobilization of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force in the
nation’s history (more than 16 million people); some 5.7 million more served in
the Korean War.
In 1954, after lobbying efforts by veterans’
service organizations, the 83rd U.S. Congress amended the 1938 act that had
made Armistice Day a holiday, striking the word “Armistice” in favor of
“Veterans.” President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the legislation on June 1,
1954. From then on, November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all
wars.
The next development in the story of Veterans
Day unfolded in 1968, when Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act,
which sought to ensure three-day weekends for federal employees—and encourage
tourism and travel—by celebrating four national holidays (Washington’s
Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Columbus Day) on Mondays.
The observation of Veterans Day was set as
the fourth Monday in October. The first Veterans Day under the new law was
Monday, October 25, 1971; confusion ensued, as many states disapproved of this
change, and continued to observe the holiday on its original date.
In 1975, after it became
evident that the actual date of Veterans Day carried historical and patriotic
significance to many Americans, President Gerald Ford signed a new law
returning the observation of Veterans Day to November 11th beginning in 1978.
If November 11 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the federal government observes
the holiday on the previous Friday or following Monday, respectively.
Government offices are closed on Veteran’s Day.
Remembrance Day
Great Britain, France, Australia and Canada
also commemorate the veterans of World War I and II on or near November 11th:
Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second
Sunday of November). In Europe, Great Britain and the Commonwealth countries it
is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.
In the United States, an official
wreath-laying ceremony is held each Veterans Day at the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, while parades and other celebrations
are held in states around the country.
Veterans Day is not to be confused with
Memorial Day—a common misunderstanding, according to the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs. 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—but especially gives thanks
to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.
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