Who Are the Veterans and its History?
On Veterans Day, people can honor the bravery and sacrifice of all American veterans. However, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the majority of Americans mistake this event for Memorial Day.
Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was first established as a legal holiday in the United States to commemorate the conclusion of World War I, which was declared on November 11, 1918. Nov. 11 was declared “dedicated to the cause of global peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day” in legislation that was passed in 1938. As a result, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.
The 83rd U.S. Infantry Regiment served in Korea and World War II before being discharged in 1954. The phrase “Armistice” was removed from the Act of 1938 and replaced with the word “Veterans” at the request of veterans’ service organizations. With the passage of this act on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
By observing four national holidays on Mondays—Birthday, Washington’s Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day—the Uniform Holiday Monday Act of 1968 guaranteed three-day weekends for federal workers. Veterans Day was shifted to the fourth Monday in October as a result of this bill. Numerous states disapproved of this choice and kept the holiday on its original date. On October 25, 1971, the first Veterans Day under the new statute was observed amid much misunderstanding.
President Gerald R. Ford finally signed a measure on September 20, 1975, moving Veterans Day back to its original date of November 11 starting in 1978. Veterans Day has been observed on November 11 ever since.
Veterans Day Holiday is being observed
The federal government observes the November 11 holiday on Monday (if it falls on Sunday) or Friday if it falls on a non-working day like Saturday or Sunday (if the holiday falls on Saturday). The US sets federal government shutdown dates. Organization for Personnel Management. Non-government organizations are free to close or remain open as they see fit, independent of decisions made by the federal, state, or local governments over their operations. State and municipal government closings are decided locally.
The week of November 11 through November 17, 2001, has been designated as “National Veterans Awareness Week” by United States Senate Resolution 143, which was passed on August 4, 2001. The resolution calls for educational initiatives targeted at elementary and secondary school students concerning the contributions and sacrifices made by veterans.
Veterans Day Myths You Should Be Aware Of
#1 For a good reason, it’s called “Veterans Day” and not “Veterans’ Day.” The absence of the apostrophe may appear to be a semantic choice, but it actually has a clear and intentional meaning. As stated by U.S. Veterans Day, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, is a day set aside to honor the veterans who are standing in front of us at the moment.
#2 It used to be observed on the fourth Monday in October as Veterans Day. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act, approved by Congress in 1968, mandated that all federal holidays—including Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Columbus Day, and Washington’s Birthday—be observed on Mondays.
In order to encourage tourism and other leisure-related activities that would assist boost the economy, three-day weekends were instituted. With regard to Veterans Day, which has important historical and patriotic significance, many states disagreed with the change. Thus, on September 20, 1975, President Gerald Ford signed Public Law 9497, moving Veterans Day back to November 11 starting in 1978.
#3 With a 96-hour liberty, Marines commemorate their service anniversary and Veterans Day. The Marine Corps celebrates its birthday on November 10 with a customary ball and a cake-cutting ceremony. This unique day occurs the day before Veterans Day, thus many Marines observe both holidays simultaneously with a 96-hour period of freedom.
To Wrap
After the start of WWII and the realization that WWI did not end all wars, the idea of commemorating Armistice Day started to lose favor with a small group of Americans led by Francis Carr Stifler of the American Bible Society.
One group even attempted to rename the then-Armistice Day as “Mayflower Day.” The group suggested that since the Mayflower Compact was signed on November 11, 1620, Armistice Day be officially substituted with Mayflower Day.
They claimed that the Mayflower Compact should have been given its own name because it served as the foundation for both the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. The group’s suggestions were obviously rejected, and Armistice Day finally became the Veterans Day that we know today.
