Honoring All Who Served

Each year on November 11, Americans pause to honor the men and women who have served in the nation’s armed forces. Veterans Day, a federal holiday observed nationwide, has its roots in the end of World War I more than a century ago.

The holiday began as Armistice Day, marking the truce that ended fighting between the Allied nations and Germany on November 11, 1918. The armistice took effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, symbolizing the close of what was then called “the war to end all wars.”

President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day in 1919, calling for a moment of remembrance and gratitude for those who fought in World War I. In 1938, Congress made the observance a legal holiday, dedicated to promoting peace and honoring veterans of that conflict.

Following World War II and the Korean War, Americans began to recognize that millions of new veterans also deserved to be honored. In 1954, Congress amended the 1938 law and officially changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day, expanding its purpose to honor all U.S. veterans, past and present. President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day proclamation later that year.

In 1968, the Uniform Holiday Act temporarily moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October to create a long weekend for federal employees. The change was unpopular, and in 1975 President Gerald R. Ford signed legislation returning the observance to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978.

Today, Veterans Day remains a time for reflection and appreciation. Across the country, communities hold parades, ceremonies, and wreath-laying tributes, including the annual observance at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

While Memorial Day honors those who died in military service, Veterans Day recognizes all who have served. More than a century after the armistice that inspired it, November 11 continues to remind Americans of the courage, sacrifice, and dedication of the nation’s veterans.