As of 2020, only 325,000 Americans out of a total of 16 million who had fought in World War II remained alive.
Veterans Day 2023: Veterans Day, commemorated annually on November 11, honors former members of the United States Armed Forces. It is important to differentiate Veterans Day from Memorial Day, which pays tribute to deceased military personnel, by recognizing all military veterans, including those who are currently alive.
Veterans Day, initially observed as Armistice Day, was officially proclaimated by President Woodrow Wilson on November 11, 1919, one year subsequent to the conclusion of World War I. The purpose of Armistice Day was to commemorate the valor and sacrifice of the fallen soldiers of the First World War. In 1926, Congress passed a resolution requesting that President Calvin Coolidge proclamate Armistice Day annually on November 11, thereby designating it as a legal holiday. This action took place seven years later.
Raymond Weeks, a veteran of World War II, proposed in 1945 that Armistice Day be expanded to honor all veterans, not just those who lost their lives in World War I. General Dwight Eisenhower warmly welcomed the delegation he was leading. Weeks subsequently coordinated the inaugural Veterans Day observance in Alabama in 1945, which persisted annually until his demise in 1985. President Reagan bestowed upon him the Presidential Citizenship Medal in 1982. Weeks was also designated by Elizabeth Dole as “Father of Veterans Day.”
In 1954, Ed Rees, a Representative from Emporia, Kansas, introduced a measure in Congress with the intention of establishing the holiday. On May 26, 1954, President Eisenhower—who at the time was also a native of Kansas—signed the bill into law. This day came eight and a half years after Raymond Weeks observed the first Veterans Day. At the behest of veterans’ service organizations, the 83rd U.S. Congress, which had previously served through both World War II and the Korean War, amended the Act of 1938 by replacing the word ‘Armistice’ with ‘Veterans.’ On June 1, 1954, this legislation was signed into law, designating November 11 as Veterans’ Day to pay tribute to American veterans across all conflicts.
In 1954, Congressman Rees was the first recipient of the National Veterans Award, which he received in recognition of his efforts to establish Veterans Day as a federal holiday. The holiday, which was initially observed on November 11, was rescheduled to the fourth Monday of October in 1971 as a result of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. In 1978, President Gerald R. Ford enacted legislation that reinstated the regular observance of Veterans Day to its initial date of November 11, 1975, which he signed into law on September 20, 1975.
The federal government observes the holiday on either Friday or Monday, depending on whether it occurs on a Saturday or Sunday. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is in charge of making closure decisions for the federal government. Local governments at the state and local levels determine which businesses may remain open or close, and non-governmental organizations are free to do so regardless of the operational decisions of the federal, state, or local governments.
National Veterans Awareness Week will take place from November 11 to November 17, 2001, according to Resolution 143, which the US Senate approved on August 4, 2001. Concerning the sacrifices and contributions of veterans, the resolution directed educational initiatives toward secondary and elementary school pupils.
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Numerous individuals have participated in at least one conflict.
18.2 million living veterans have participated in at least one conflict as of 2018.
Female combatants
9 percent of all American veterans are female.
Principal states
The states with the highest proportion of veterans as of 2019 were Virginia, Alaska, and Wyoming.
Veterans of World War II
As of 2020, only 325,000 Americans out of a total of 16 million who had fought in World War II remained alive.
Kim Jong-un War
Two million veterans of the Korean War served in active duty.
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | November 11 | Saturday |
| 2024 | November 11 | Monday |
| 2025 | November 11 | Tuesday |
| 2026 | November 11 | Wednesday |
| 2027 | November 11 | Thursday |
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