Veteran's Day is a Federal Holiday of the United States dedicated to honoring and remembering the soldiers that fight and have fought and even died to preserve our freedom. It is observed on November 11th. It is also know as Remembrance Day or Armistice Day in other parts of the world, and it is on that date because that is when the treaty that ended World War I was signed on that day.
President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 11, 1919. To announce the holiday, "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with lots of pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thingfrom which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has givenAmerica to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils ofthe nations."An Act approved May 13, 1938,made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday, known as Armistice Day.
In 1953, Alfred King had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate veterans of all wars, not just those who died in World War One. King had been a member of the American War Dads during World War Two. He began a campaign to turn Armistice Day into "All" Veterans Day. The Emporia Chamber of Commerce took up the cause after determining that nearly all of Emporia merchants as well as the Board of Education supported closing their doors onNovember 11 to honor all members of the military, past and present. Ed Rees, also from Emporia, helped pass a bill for the holiday was pushed through Congress. President Dwight Eisenhower signed it into law on May 26, 1954.
Congress amended this on June 1, 1954, and it has been known as Veterans Day since.
Although originally scheduled for celebration on November 11 of every year, starting in 1971 in accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act,Veterans Day was moved to the fourth Monday of October. In 1978, it wasmoved back to its original celebration on November 11. Since thischange, there has been a trend against being closed on the holiday, beginning with businesses and in recent years someschools and local governments have also stayed open.Veteran's day is a very purposeful holiday. It shows to our armed forces that we really do care about what they are doing overseas and what they have done or died doing. Without it I really think that our soldiers would not be able to do nearly as well not knowing for sure that they are fighting for a purpose.
Sources
http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day
http://www.history.army.mil/html/reference/holidays/vetsday/vetshist.html
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