Veterans Day’s Name, Date, and Celebration Changed

Woodrow Wilson

Veterans Day falls on the eleventh day of this month. It started when President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation on November 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. His proclamation declared Armistice Day, its original name, an annual observance and celebration of the U.S. military people who fought during the world-wide conflict that was then called The Great War.

The observance didn’t become a federal holiday for 29 years, till the U.S. Congress made Armistice Day a national holiday in 1938. President Dwight D. Eisenhower changed the name to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor not only World War I vets but all military people who participated in any American war and military action.

In 1971 the date for the holiday changed when Veterans Day became one of the Monday holidays. President Gerald Ford moved it back seven years later to its original November 11th date.

Thirty countries sent military personnel to be part of World War I. The United States suffered 116,516 casualties during the war that began July 28, 1914 and ended November 11, 1918. During World War II, the number of Americans killed was 405,399. The Korean conflict resulted in 54,246 military deaths. During the Vietnam War, 58,209 American military died. Since the Iraq-Afghanistan War began in 2001, the current American casualties number 6,717. These casualty figures were provided by Wikipedia.

Memorial Day is another federal holiday dedicated to honoring American military people. It’s celebrated on the last Monday of May and honors military people who died during battle. Veterans Day honors all military for their service.

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