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(Trends Wide) — Veterans Day is a holiday honoring men and women who have served in the US armed forces and is celebrated on November 11, the anniversary of the end of World War I.
Facts
According to the most recent data from the National Center for Veterans Statistics and Analysis:
There are approximately 19.5 million veterans in the United States.
There are approximately 2 million female veterans.
As of June 2021, there are 5.18 million veterans receiving disability compensation.
Chronology
November 11, 1918 – The armistice ending World War I begins at 11 am.
1919 – US President Woodrow Wilson proclaims November 11 as Armistice Day.
November 11, 1921 – The first Unknown Soldier is reburied at Arlington National Cemetery. The tomb is inscribed with the words: “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”
May 13, 1938 – Armistice Day becomes a federal holiday.
June 1, 1954 – President Dwight Eisenhower signs a bill that changes Armistice Day to Veterans Day to include all US veterans.
May 30, 1958 – Unknown soldiers from World War II and the Korean War are buried next to the Unknown Soldier from World War I.
1968 – Congress changes the date of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October to give federal employees a three-day weekend. The change begins in 1971.
September 25, 1975 – President Gerald Ford changes the date of Veterans Day to November 11. The change begins in 1978.
May 28, 1984 – An unknown soldier from the Vietnam War is buried in Arlington Cemetery. In 1998, he is identified through DNA tests as Michael Blassie, a 24-year-old pilot shot down in 1972 on the Cambodian border.
