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# November 10, 2008

**The History of Veterans Day**

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World War I -- known at the time as "The Great War" - officially ended
when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919 , in the
Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles , France. However,
fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary
cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went
into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh
month. For that reason, November 11, 1918 , is generally regarded as the
end of "the war to end all wars."

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first
commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: \"To us in
America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn
pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with
gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has
freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her
sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations...\"

The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with
parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning
at 11 a.m.

The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I
when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these
words:

Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most
destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the
resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with
other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and

Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should
be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to
perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between
nations; and

Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already
declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by
the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President
of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon
the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government
buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to
observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with
appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938,
made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday - - a day to be
dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated
and known as \"Armistice Day.\" Armistice Day was primarily a day set
aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II
had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and
airmen in the Nation's history; after American forces had fought
aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans
service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word
\"Armistice\" and inserting in its place the word \"Veterans.\" With the
approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November
11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
issued the first \"Veterans Day Proclamation\" which stated: \"In order
to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all
veterans, all veterans\' organizations, and the entire citizenry will
wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am
designating the Administrator of Veterans\' Affairs as Chairman of a
Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons
as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national
level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the
heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the
Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.

On that same day, the President sent a letter to the Honorable Harvey V.
Higley, Administrator of Veterans\' Affairs (VA), designating him as
Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee.

In 1958, the White House advised VA\'s General Counsel that the 1954
designation of the VA Administrator as Chairman of the Veterans Day
National Committee applied to all subsequent VA Administrators. Since
March 1989 when VA was elevated to a cabinet level department, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs has served as the committee\'s chairman.

The Uniforms Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed
on June 28, 1968, and was intended to insure three-day weekends for
Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays:
Washington\'s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It
was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel,
recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial
and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision
and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates.

The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much
confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the
commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic
significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September
20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat.
479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its
original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported
the desires of the overwhelming majority of state legislatures, all
major veterans service organizations and the American people.

Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what
day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of
Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical
significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important
purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America\'s veterans for
their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and
sacrifice for the common good.

President Eisenhower's letter to Harvey V. Higley, Administrator of
Veterans\' Affairs, designating him Chairman, Veterans Day National
Committee

THE WHITE HOUSE OFFICE

October 8, 1954

Dear Mr. Higley:

I have today signed a proclamation calling upon all of our citizens to
observe Thursday, November 11, 1954 as Veterans Day. It is my earnest
hope that all veterans, their organizations, and the entire citizenry
will join hands to insure proper and widespread observance of this day.
With the thought that it will be most helpful to coordinate the
planning, I am suggesting the formation of a Veterans Day National
Committee. In view of your great personal interest as well as your
official responsibilities, I have designated you to serve as Chairman.
You may include in the Committee membership such other persons as you
desire to select and I am requesting the heads of all departments and
agencies of the Executive branch to assist the Committee in its work in
every way possible.

I have every confidence that our Nation will respond wholeheartedly in
the appropriate observance of Veterans Day, 1954.

Sincerely,

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

Veterans Day, 1954

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

3071

Whereas it has long been our customs to commemorate November 11, the
anniversary of the ending of World War I, by paying tribute to the
heroes of that tragic struggle and by rededicating ourselves to the
cause of peace; and

Whereas in the intervening years the United States has been involved in
two other great military conflicts, which have added millions of
veterans living and dead to the honor rolls of this Nation; and

Whereas the Congress passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926 (44
Stat. 1982), calling for the observance of November 11 with appropriate
ceremonies, and later provided in an act approved May 13, 1938 (52 Stat.
351) , that the eleventh of November should be a legal holiday and
should be known as Armistice Day; and

Whereas, in order to expand the significance of that commemoration and
in order that a grateful Nation might pay appropriate homage to the
veterans of all its wars who have contributed so much to the
preservation of this Nation, the Congress, by an act approved June 1,
1954 (68 Stat. 168), changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day:

Now, Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States
of America , do hereby call upon all of our citizens to observe
Thursday, November 11, 1954 , as Veterans Day. On that day let us
solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly,
on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage
of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting
an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.

I also direct the appropriate officials of the Government to arrange for
the display of the flag of the United States on all public buildings on
Veterans Day.

In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary,
all veterans, all veterans\' organizations, and the entire citizenry
will wish to wish to join hands in the common purpose.

Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans\'
Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall
include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will
coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance.
I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the
Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in
every way possible.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and cause the Seal of
the United States of America to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington this eighth day of October in the Year of
our Lord nineteen hundred and fifty-four, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the one hundred and seventy-ninth.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

**Arlington National Cemetery**

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Almost four million people a year visit the national cemetery across the
Potomac River from Washington, D.C., where a constant vigil is
maintained at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Arlington National Cemetery is
the site of the changing of a military guard around the clock daily. On
Veterans Day 1921, a coffin bearing the body of an unidentified soldier
of World War I was entombed adjacent to the Memorial Amphitheater and a
monument weighing more than 100 tons placed atop it in 1932. Nearby
crypts bear the remains of unknown American service members of World War
II and the Korean War. The remains of a previously unknown Vietnam
service member were exhumed on May 14, 1998, identified as Air Force 1st
Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, and removed for burial.

![](media/image5.png){width="2.1770833333333335in"
height="1.6875in"}Currently, the main part of the Tomb of the Unknowns\'
above ground monument is being replaced because of two large cracks that
have appeared in the marble. A detailed description of the tomb
replacement project can be found on page 24 of the March/April edition
of VA\'s magazine,
[VAnguard](http://www1.va.gov/opa/feature/vanguard/05MarAprVG.pdf) (1.1
MB PDF ).

Each Memorial Day and Veterans Day, a presidential wreath is placed at
the tomb. This may explain why Arlington is America's most well-known
national cemetery, even though it is not the largest or the oldest. Some
230,000 veterans and dependents are buried on the cemetery's 612 acres.
From Pierre L'Enfant, George Washington's aide during the American
Revolution, to American service members killed during Operation Desert
Storm, Arlington holds the remains of veterans representing every
military action the United States has fought.

Union Seized Lee's Property

The cemetery's origins go back to just before the Civil War. George
Washington Parke Custis, adopted son of the first president, owned a
1,100-acre plantation and constructed on it a memorial to Washington
named Arlington House, which held the world's largest collection of
memorabilia related to the president. Ownership of his estate passed to
Custis' daughter, who had married Robert E. Lee, and they lived in
Arlington House for more than 30 years. The Lee family fled when the
Civil War was imminent. The Union seized the property because of its
strategic location overlooking Washington. Because of the bitter grudge
against the South that Union Brig. Gen. Montgomery Meigs bore, and the
need for burial space for the Union dead, this commander of forces at
Arlington urged the federal government to convert 200 acres of Lee's
property to a cemetery. Meigs ordered burials near the house to make the
grounds uninhabitable after the war.

The first soldier was buried in Arlington in May 1864. By war's end,
16,000 graves filled the spaces close to Arlington House. Though the
Supreme Court ruled finally in favor of the heir to the property, the
eldest Lee son ceded title to the government for \$150,000 and renounced
any thought of living in Arlington House. From the portico of the
mansion, the first official Memorial Day was proclaimed in 1868.

Burials Restricted

Whereas after the Civil War, only the poor or unidentified were entombed
at Arlington, now it is a burial site particularly coveted by veterans
and their families. Space for in-ground burials is restricted to those
who die on active duty, have had 20 years of service, or earned certain
military decorations, and their spouses and dependents. Any honorably
discharged veterans and dependents may have their cremated remains
inurned in Arlington 's columbarium. Honors are rendered daily by
military units bearing a flag-draped coffin, firing a rifle volley and
performing taps.

Numerous veterans and civic groups hold memorial services in the
cemetery's marble amphitheater. Monuments have been erected from time to
time to memorialize specific groups of military members or veterans
buried there.

Prominent Americans buried at Arlington include: Presidents John F.
Kennedy and William H. Taft; World War I General of the Armies John J.
Pershing; Generals Omar Bradley and George C. Marshall of World War II;
and Generals Daniel "Chappie" James and Maxwell Taylor of the Vietnam
War.

**Frequently Asked Questions About Veterans Day**

**Q**. Which is the correct spelling of Veterans Day?

a\. \"Veterans Day\"

b\. \"Veteran\'s Day\"

c\. \"Veterans\' Day\"

**A**. Veterans Day (choice a, above).

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.

**Q**. On what day of the week will Veterans Day be observed?

**A**. Veterans Day is always observed officially on November 11,
regardless of the day of the week on which it falls. The Veterans Day
National Ceremony, like most ceremonies around the nation, is held on
Veterans Day itself. However, when Veterans Day falls on a weekday, many
communities choose to hold Veterans Day parades or other celebrations on
the weekend before or after November 11 so that more people can
participate.

**Q**. Who decides if a government office or business closes or stays
open on Veterans Day?

**A**. Federal government closings are established by the U.S. Office of
Personnel Management (OPM). Generally, when a holiday falls on a
non-workday \-- Saturday or Sunday \-- the federal government is closed
on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday
falls on Saturday). A complete schedule of Federal Government closings
can be found on the Internet at
<http://www.opm.gov/oca/worksch/index.htm>.

State and local governments, including schools, are not required to
follow OPM closure policies and may determined for themselves whether to
close or remain open. Likewise, non-government businesses are free to
make their own decisions to close or remain open for business,
regardless of federal, state or local government closings.

**Q**. Why do some schools close and others remain in session on
Veterans Day?

**A**. Because there is no legal requirement that schools close on
Veterans Day, individual states or school districts are free to
establish their own policies on school closings. Most schools that do
not close for Veterans Day schedule assemblies or other activities to
honor America \'s veterans on Veterans Day and throughout the week that
includes Veterans Day.

**Q**. What is the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day?

**A**. Many people confuse [Memorial
Day](http://www1.va.gov/opa/speceven/memday/index.htm) and Veterans Day.
Memorial Day is a day for remembering and honoring military personnel
who died in the service of their country, particularly those who died in
battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle. While those who
died are also remembered on Veterans Day, Veterans Day is the day set
aside to thank and honor ALL those who served honorably in the
military - in wartime or peacetime. In fact, Veterans Day is largely
intended to thank LIVING veterans for their service, to acknowledge that
their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to
underscore the fact that all those who served - not only those who
died - have sacrificed and done their duty.

![](media/image6.png){width="1.4166666666666667in"
height="3.1041666666666665in"}**Q**. Why are red poppies worn on
Veterans Day, and where can I obtain them?

**A**. The wearing of poppies in honor America \'s war dead is
traditionally done on Memorial Day, not Veterans Day. The practice of
wearing of poppies takes its origin from the poem \"In Flanders
Fields,\" written in 1915 by John McCrae. [Click here to read \"In
Flanders Fields.](http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/flanders.htm)\" For
information on how to obtain poppies for use on Memorial Day, contact a
veterans service organization, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of
the United States (VFW), as the VFW distributes poppies annually on
Memorial Day. You can find veterans groups in the Veterans Service
Organization link on VA\'s Veterans Day web page. Veterans groups in
your area can be found in your local phone book. Look in the yellow
pages under \"Veterans and Military Organizations\" or a similar
heading.

**Q**. How can I get a Veterans Day poster?

**A**. Each September, the Department of Veterans Affairs distributes
posters to schools, state governments, Veterans Day Regional Sites, the
military services and veterans service organizations. We fulfill
individual poster requests until our remaining inventory is exhausted.
However, you can download or print your own poster in the size and
resolution you want directly from the [Veterans Day Poster
Gallery](http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/gallery.htm). Click on the
poster image, then choose from the selections offered.

**Q**. Can I get a Veterans Day Teacher\'s Guide?

**A**. We encourage teachers and others interested in obtaining
[Teacher\'s
Guides](http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/docs/Teacher_Guide2004.pdf) to
download the Portable Document File (PDF), available here or from the
Veterans Day Home page. Please feel free to make as many additional
copies as you need.

**Q**. Is Veterans Day celebrated in other countries?

**A**. Yes, a number of countries honor their veterans each year on
November 11, although the name and types of commemorations differ
somewhat from Veterans Day celebrations in the United States. For
example, Canada and Australia observe \"Remembrance Day\" on November
11, and Great Britain observes \"Remembrance Day\" on the Sunday nearest
to November 11. There are similarities and differences between these
countries\' Remembrance Day and America \'s Veterans Day. Canada \'s
observance is actually quite similar to the U.S. celebration, in that
the day is intended to honor all who served in Canada \'s Armed Forces.
However, unlike in the U.S., many Canadians wear red poppy flowers on
November 11 in honor of their war dead. In Australia, Remembrance Day is
very much like America\'s Memorial Day, a day to honor that nation\'s
war dead.

In Great Britain, the day is commemorated by church services and parades
of ex-service members in Whitehall, a wide ceremonial avenue leading
from London \'s Parliament Square to Trafalgar Square. Wreaths of
poppies are left at the Cenotaph, a war memorial in Whitehall, which was
built after the First World War. At the Cenotaph and elsewhere in the
country, a two-minute silence is observed at 11 a.m., to honor those who
lost their lives in wars.