The History of Veteran’s Day

In case you didn’t know Veteran’s Day occurs every year on November 11^th. It originated as “Armistice Day” in 1919 on the first anniversary of the end of World War 1. In 1926, congress passed a resolution for the remembrance to be an annual observance on November 11^th and in 1938 it became a national holiday. It was officially renamed Veteran’s Day by president Dwight D Eisenhower in 1954.

According to history.com, “In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, which moved the celebration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. The law went into effect in 1971, but in 1975 President Gerald Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11, due to the important historical significance of the date.”

Veteran’s Day differs from Memorial Day because it pays homage to all Veterans, whether living or dead. However, it is meant to especially give thanks to living veterans who’ve served their country with honor during war AND during peace.

While it is mainly an American holiday, some other parts of the world observe it was well. Great Britain, France, Australia, and Canada commemorate the veterans of World War I and II on, or near, November 11^th. Canada has a holiday called Remembrance Day and Great Britain’s holiday is called Remembrance Sunday, which takes place the second Sunday of November. It is also common in Great Britain and the Commonwealth countries to observe two minutes of silence on November 11^th at 11AM.

In the united states today, history.com says there are:

• 1 million living veterans served during at least one war.
• 2 million veterans served in peacetime.
• 2 million veterans are women.
• 7 million veterans served during the Vietnam War.
• 5 million veterans served during the Persian Gulf War.
• Of the 16 million Americans who served during World War II, about 558,000 are still alive.
• 2 million veterans served during the Korean War.
• 6 million veterans served in peacetime.
• As of 2014, 2.9 million veterans received compensation for service-connected disabilities.
• As of 2014, 3 states have more than 1 million veterans among their population: California (1.8 million), Florida (1.6 million) and Texas (1.7 million).
• The VA health care system had 54 hospitals in 1930, since then it has expanded to include 171 medical centers; more than 350 outpatient, community, and outreach clinics; 126 nursing home care units; and 35 live-in care facilities for injured or disabled vets.

That is a lot of men and women who put their lives on the line for our own, for our freedoms, and for our country! This coming Veteran’s Day, we would like to encourage you to say “thank you” to the Veterans in your life, or any Veterans you might encounter during your holiday celebration. They are the true heroes and we owe them more than we could possibly understand, or ever pay back.

To all our Prescott, Arizona, and U.S. Veteran’s out there, we say thank you for your service and all you’ve done for us!