Happy Veterans Day!
To the soldiers of the past and present – we thank you for taking all these risks and making sacrifices for our freedom.
We are always grateful to you for your service. Today we celebrate you!
On this November 11th we wanted to share 11 facts that you may or may not know about this special day:
1. Veterans Day was formerly known as Armistice Day.
2. It was set as a U.S. legal holiday to commemorate the end of World War I.
World War I ended on November 11, 1918. Twenty years after November 11th was made a national holiday.
3. The 83rd U.S. Congress amended the Act of 1938 by taking out the word “Armistice” and replacing it with the word “Veterans.” On June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor all wars and American veterans.
4. In 2021, 42 percent of male Americans aged 75 years and over were veterans – the most out of any age group or gender.
5. More than 2 million Women Veterans live in the U.S. today. Women are the fastest-growing group in the Veteran population.
6. Arlington National Cemetery is home to the final resting place of over 400,000 military service members and their families. Every year at 11 a.m., the time the World War I armistice was signed, a Veterans Day observance is held.
7. Veterans Day honors all American troops who served —regardless of whether they did so during war or peacetime.
8. The New York City Veterans Day Parade= takes place along Fifth Avenue is the largest and oldest Veterans Day parade in the country. The first one was held in 1919.
9. During the Veterans Day commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery, guards lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and veterans organizations hold a parade of colors. This ceremony is free and open to the public.
10. March 13 is National K9 Veterans Day, a holiday that honors American military and working dogs throughout history.
11. On Veterans Day 2020, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., unveiled the National Native American Veterans Memorial.