Honoring Our Veterans on Veterans Day: A History and Observance

November 11th is Veterans Day, our federal holiday dedicated to honoring the service members of our military and showing our appreciation for their sacrifices. Originally called Armistice Day, this date marks the official end of the major hostilities of World War I. While we have previously expressed our deep respect and gratitude for our veterans, we find it fitting to delve into the history of the day set aside to celebrate them.

The Origins of Veterans Day

The concept of Veterans Day was first hinted at in a speech delivered by Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, on the first anniversary of the signing of the armistice. Here is the speech President Wilson delivered from the White House on November 11, 1919:

*"A year ago today our enemies laid down their arms in accordance with an armistice which rendered them impotent to renew hostilities, and gave to the world an assured opportunity to reconstruct its shattered order and to work out in peace a new and more just set of international relations. The soldiers and people of the European Allies had fought and endured for more than four years to uphold the barrier of civilization against the aggressions of armed force. We ourselves had been in the conflict something more than a year and a half.

With splendid forgetfulness of mere personal concerns, we remodeled our industries, concentrated our financial resources, increased our agricultural output, and assembled a great army, so that at the last our power was a decisive factor in the victory. We were able to bring the vast resources, material and moral, of a great and free people to the assistance of our associates in Europe who had suffered and sacrificed without limit in the cause for which we fought.

Out of this victory there arose new possibilities of political freedom and economic concert. The war showed us the strength of great nations acting together for high purposes, and the victory of arms foretells the enduring conquests which can be made in peace when nations act justly and in furtherance of the common interests of men.

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 nations."*

Evolution of the Holiday

In 1926, the United States Congress passed a resolution requesting then-President Calvin Coolidge to issue a proclamation designating November 11th as a day of observance for the veterans of World War I. Just over a decade later, in 1938, November 11th was established as a legal holiday known as Armistice Day through an act of Congress.

The holiday's scope expanded in 1945 when World War II veteran Raymond Weeks campaigned to include all veterans, not just those who served in World War I. This change was formalized on May 26th, 1954, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill proposed by U.S. Representative Ed Rees to establish Armistice Day as an official holiday. Later that year, on June 1st, the bill was amended to replace “Armistice” with “Veterans,” and the rest is history.

Observing Veterans Day

On Friday, November 11th, many workplaces will be closed in observance of Veterans Day—a federal holiday where most non-essential government offices will be closed. However, there is more that can traditionally be done. The laws described above recommend two minutes of silence to be held at 2:11 PM EST.

We hope this provides a deeper understanding of Veterans Day and encourages a meaningful observance of this important holiday.