Q: When is Veterans Day?
A: On November 11, the United States will honor the nation’s 25 million living veterans for their courage, sacrifice and love of country. Folks across America are called upon to celebrate the patriotism and sense of duty manifested by our hometown heroes who have selflessly served to protect our country and way of life. What originally began as Armistice Day to commemorate the ending of World War I, President Dwight Eisenhower signed into law on June 1, 1954 the legislation that renamed it Veterans Day to celebrate American veterans of all wars. On this Veterans Day, fifty years later, Americans ought to observe November 11 as a day of thanksgiving. Fly the American flag. Let’s honor all those who fought for freedom by air, sea and on foreign shores around the world. Make it a meaningful day for you and your family. Seek out a family member, friend or neighbor who served in the military and say thank you. Visit a hometown veteran in a local nursing home. Offer to volunteer with your local veterans’ service organization or veterans’ health care clinic. On the eleventh day of the eleventh month, let’s also pay tribute to the brave men and women in uniform who are serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pray for peace and their safe return to hearth and home. As they sacrifice to light liberty’s lamp in harm’s way, let’s join together as Americans to celebrate all those who have served and are serving for the common good of our citizenry.
Q: Is Veterans Day officially observed on Mondays?
A: No. Unlike other national holidays, Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11, no matter upon which day of the week it falls. However, many folks may remember a time when Veterans Day was observed on a Monday for nearly a decade. From 1971 to 1977, Veterans Day was celebrated according to a federal law that created three-day weekends for Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day. Recognizing the historic and patriotic significance of the anniversary marking the end of World War I, President Gerald Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11 beginning in 1978. Please take the opportunity to honor our vets and celebrate the individual rights and personal freedoms we enjoy as Americans. To worship freely. To speak openly. To petition or march in protest. To vote. We are blessed to live in the land of opportunity. Let’s remember the patriots whose blood, sweat and sacrifice allow us to pass on our treasured heritage and the rich bounty of American democracy from one generation to the next.