One of the 12 Congressionally designated federal holidays of the US, November 11 is celebrated as Veterans Day. Associated with parades and ceremonies, this US holiday began as a celebration of the end of WWI. It is a day to honor all veterans of the uniformed services who have served or still serving the country.
The day has its origins at the end of World War I when at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the fighting ended with the signing of an armistice.
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What Is Veterans Day And How Did It Come To Be Celebrated?
The holiday’s first sightings came to be with the end of the first World War. The U.S. alone lost over 116,000 lives in the course of the war in 1917. A year after this, the Americans decided to honor and celebrate this day as Veterans Day. It was noted in the New York Times on November 11, 1919, that people were holding moments of silence at 11 in the morning.
President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day by commemorating, “To us America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who dies in the country’s service, and with gratitude or victory, both because of the thin in which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.“
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How Is veterans Day Celebrated?
At the urging of the Veteran’s organizations, Congress changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day in 1954. The day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans. On this day every year, along with respect paid by the whole nation, some restaurants and retailers also offer certain services. Special discounts are given to those who are serving currently or have served in the past.
