Much overlooked amidst the hoopla over Thanksgiving, another important moment of commemoration during the month of November is Veterans Day, known as a holiday celebrated not just across America, but in parts of Europe as well.

The men and women who have served in the Armed Forces have rightfully earned the nation’s full respect. As such for this year we honored them on Friday, November 11, 2022. Even though this holiday is very popular and widely celebrated, how much do we truly know about it and how did it come to life?

-Originally Veterans Day was called “Armistice Day,”which started out as a way to recognize the cease fire agreement which ended World World 1.

-The official end of World War 1, known as “The Great War” or “The War to End All Wars,” wasn’t until June 1919 through a signed treaty. 

-Why November 11th? What is the significance? The armistice between the allied forces and Germany was put into play on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.

-It wasn’t until 1938 that Armistice Day was officially made into a legal holiday. In 1954, it was updated by Congress to be called Veterans Day since the US fought in two other massive wars, so calling it Veterans Day would allow all veterans to be honored.

-From 1971-1977, the “Uniform Holiday Bill” went into effect, which moved Veterans Day from the set date of November 11th to being celebrated every Monday, which gave Federal employees a three-day weekend. 

-Veterans Day differs in meaning from Memorial Day, the United States holiday that honors specifically those who died while they served their time in the military. 

-The Veterans Affairs Department does believe that by 2045, there will be around 12 million veterans which is a roughly a 40% decrease from the number of veterans there were in 2017.

-Veterans Day is a great day to celebrate, and one way to do that is to follow the lead of ILS’s Purple Hearts Club whose members honor veterans by writing cards to them.