Thursday, November 11, 2021

It's Veterans Day!

 

Today is Veterans Day in the United States.  It is also known as Remembrance Day in many other countries, as well as here.

Veterans Day is a federal holiday, a bank holiday, and, in most states, a state holiday.  As a rule, most military personnel have the day off.
 
Veterans Day was first celebrated on November 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I, known as the War to End All Wars.  At that time it was known as Armistice Day.  The day's observation included parades and public gatherings, as well as a brief pause in business activities at 11 a.m. 
 
On November 11, 1921, an unidentified American soldier killed in the war was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.  As an aside, unidentified soldiers were laid to rest that same day at Westminster Abbey in London and at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. 
 
The U.S. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 calling the date an annual observance, and November 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938.

In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day. This was so veterans of WWII could be honored, too.
 
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 Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11, due to the important historical significance of the date.
 
Britain, France, Australia, and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World Wars I and II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance Day (sometimes referred to as Poppy Day), while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November). In Europe, Britain, and the Commonwealth countries, it is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.

Veterans Day (not Veteran's Day) is NOT to be confused with Memorial Day, which we in the states celebrate in late May.  Memorial Day is always celebrated on the last Monday in May and is to honor those who have died in the service of their country.  On the other hand, Veterans Day is always celebrated on November 11, regardless of the day of the week on which it lands.  It also honors ALL veterans, both alive and deceased.
 
Please hug a veteran today, or even better, take one or more to lunch or dinner to show your gratitude for their present or former service to their country.
 
Today is Day 11 of AEDM and I honored Veterans Day which is celebrated under various names in many countries around the world.
 
 

16 thoughtful remarks:

Valerie-Jael said...

Good article. So many lives lost, all over the world. Have a great day, hugs, Valerie

Iris Flavia said...

So sad and weird, disrespectful. 11.11. official carnival starts at 11:00 am in Germany (Cologne, Düsseldorf etc - maybe not this year and Braunschweig "celebrates" in February, eventually).

Germans are stupid.
Not my fault, but I feel ashamed.
Instead of honoring the brave men and women from back then - and today still - they dress up, get drunk and make jokes. What a world.

Thank you for the reminder!

My name is Erika. said...

Nice post. I’m the one who wants to make it Veteran’s day. But it is their day, which could make it Veteran’s day. Ok, I’m tired. Waiting for the hubby to get the rental car since they will only. Let one person per party inside. Glad I have some blogs to catch up on. If this is garbled it is because my body thinks it is 1:30 AM. Anyhow, this is an interesting post. And I wish you a great Veterans Day. Hugs Erika

Elephant's Child said...

Yours is one of the very few blogs I can comment on at the moment.
We know it as Remembrance Day here - and it is not a holiday.

New Release Books said...

We know it as Veterans Day here.

DVArtist said...

A very good post. I have so many family members serving right now.

Sami said...

It's called Remembrance Day in Australia, but it's not a public holiday. There are a few commemorations and even at work we stopped for a couple of minutes at 11am while the radio station transmitted the "Last Post" and then 1 minute of silence.
Nice informative post Elizabeth.

Divers and Sundry said...

Thank you for offering this remembrance and tribute.

Birgit said...

This is a wonderful write up for Remembrance Day. I never heard it called Poppy Day here but that doesn’t matter because the poppy is very significant here. I am thinking of my dad who was part of the Liberation of Holland and was badly wounded near the end of the war in the Reischwald Forest. I think of my mom, a German, who went through hell and lost 2 brothers in the war. My parents could talk to each other about the war and each understood the other so well. My mom was insistent on wearing her poppy even when she was in the home and knew it was close to Nov. 11th. I miss them.

Sandra Cox said...

Thanks for sharing and for honoring:)
Hugs

Mae Travels said...

Good thoughts. Sadly, our family's World War II veteran died a few months ago. He was 101 years old. But we can think of all the men and women who served with him.

best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Lowcarb team member said...

We shall remember them at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, and again on Remembrance Sunday.

All the best Jan

NatureFootstep said...

not sure why they celebrate it. It obviously did not work.

Empire of the Cat said...

It's often called Poppy Day here and poppies are sold to raise money, not real poppies but various types of poppy emblems. Sorry I'm late, Happy AEDM! Elle/EOTC xx

pearshapedcrafting said...

I always find your Veterans Day posts interesting. Yes, it is often called Poppy Day here, we wear our poppies for the week before Rembrance Sunday through most of the following week. On Remembrance Sunday Royalty, Polticians and representatives of many organisations connected with the military lay poppy wreaths at the Cenotaph in Whitehall London. All over the UK services of Remembrance are held at local centotaphs. Chrisx

Linda Manning Findley said...

"E" you always put into words thoughts that come from the heart that are so touching ... thanks