Veterans Day: Resources and History

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Veterans Day honors military veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a federal holiday observed annually on November 11.

HISTORY

Veterans Day was originally called "Armistice Day" and was intended to honor the end of World War I.  Congress made November 11th a legal holiday in 1938.

Sixteen years later, after the urging of Veterans service organizations, Congress amended the 1938 Act by substituting the word "Armistice" with "Veterans."  On June 1st of that year, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars, not just World War One.

in 1968, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act intended to ensure that Veterans Day (and three other U.S. holidays) be celebrated on Mondays so as to ensure three day weekends for Federal employees.  Many states did not agree and persisted on celebrating the holiday on the 11th.

In 1975, President Ford signed into law a return to the original Veterans Day Date of November 11th, to begin in 1978.  Since then, the Veterans Day holiday continues to be observed on the 11th.

On October 27, 2000, Congress signed into law the Veterans' Oral History Project Act.  It is an ongoing oral history program housed in the library of Congress, responsible for collecting and preserving interviews of wartime veterans.  Read more about this project and find out if you can participate by virtually visiting the Library of Congress, American Folklife Center.

INTERESTING FACTS

  • Florida has the third largest population of veterans in the nation after California and Texas with more than 1.4 million veterans.
  • Of the 1,430,000 veterans in the State of Florida, 1,265,000 are male and 168,000 are female.
  • In the State of Florida, there are 1,103,000 wartime veterans and 330,000 peacetime veterans.
  • The state of Florida has:  11,000 World War II veterans; 75,000 Korean War veterans; 462,000 Vietnam-era veterans; 421,000 Gulf War Era to include Post 9/11 veterans.
  • Veterans Day does not include an apostrophe but does include an “s” at the end of “veterans” because it is not a day that “belongs” to veterans, it is a day for honoring all veterans.
  • Many people confuse Veterans Day and Memorial Day.  Memorial Day remembers and honors military personnel who died in the course of service of their country.  Veterans Day is set aside for all who served honorably, both wartime and peacetime soldiers, and the living as well as the deceased.
  • Poppies are traditionally worn in honor of Memorial Day, not Veterans Day.  The origin of this practices stems from the 1915 poem "In Flanders Fields".  A number of veterans organizations distribute poppies for Memorial Day.
  • Many restaurants participate in celebrating veterans. Find a deal at a restaurant near you.
  • The Federal Government works to assist veterans through health, employment and tax benefits.  We've compiled some resources below that may help.

RESOURCES FOR VETERANS

Find a VA center location, VA urgent care, and other type of facility for veteran aid. Find more veterans' resources below.

More Resources

EMPLOYMENT & BUSINESS SERVICES FOR VETERANS

Check out associations of veteran owned business, how to seek out loans to start small business, and more information below.

Employment Resources

MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES FOR VETERANS

For long term mental-health needs as well as moments of crisis, organizations are in place to support veterans.

Mental Health Resources

RESOURCES FOR WOMEN VETERANS

For some issues, female veterans face unique challenges not faced by all veterans. Here are some resources for them.

Female Veteran Resources

OTHER RESOURCES FOR VETERANS

Many unique services exist, whether you seek a military license plate, you want to locate military records, you need legal aid, or so much more. We've compiled those miscellaneous resources below.

More Resources


Thank you again to all those who served.

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By LaurelC on November 13, 2024