Hello Owls! Happy Veterans Day. 

Veterans Day is observed on November 11th of every year and this holiday is to pay respects to the sacrifices people have made during times of war and the peace and stability that comes after. So how did it begin? How did this holiday evolve to what it is now?

Veterans Day started with the end of WW1, which was in effect on the eleventh month on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. President Woodrow Willson proclaimed this day as Armistice Day, in commemoration of the millions who haid laid their lives in the “war to end all wars.” No war in history up to that point had ever come close to the destruction and depravity of this war. However, many years later during the Korean War (1950-1953) which took place just years after the Second World War, veterans pushed the government to amend the word “armistice” to “veteran” in order to reflect the veterans of all wars, including recent and those from before. Many years later, President Gerald Ford signed Veterans Day into law on September 20, 1975. Veterans Day is not to be thought of as a celebration of war but the remembrance of it. It is to ensure glad tidings with other nations, and despite our histories and conflicts, we share our humanity. 

Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day despite the similarities, those being the commemoration of the fallen. Memorial Day also takes place on the last Monday of May and is also a federal holiday. In fact, next year we will have Memorial day on May 26, 2025 so expect to have a nice long weekend for Memorial Day!