Happy Veterans Day. We would like to take a moment to remember and honor all of those who have served our country. Thank you for your service!
Below are some interesting facts about Veterans Day that you may not know.
- In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as Armistice Day.
- In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
- Between 1971-1977, Veterans Day was celebrated on the fourth Monday of October.
- Britain, France, Australia and Canada all have their own holiday to commemorate the veterans of World War I & II around November 11th.
- Canada has Remembrance Day
- Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November)
- In Europe, the commonwealth countries observe two minutes of silence at 11am every November 11th.
- There are approximately 23.2 million military veterans in the United States.
- 1.8 million veterans are women
- 2.6 million veterans served during World War II
- 2.8 million veterans served during the Korean War
- 33% of all living veterans served during the Vietnam War
- 5.2 million veterans served during the Gulf War
- The top 5 states with the highest number of veterans among their population is
- California with 2.1 million
- Florida with 1.7 million
- Texas with 1.7 million
- New York with 1 million
- Pennsylvania with 1 million
- Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran came up with the idea to honor all veterans on November 11, not just the ones who died in World War I.
- The word “veteran” comes from the nomenclature of the old English language meaning old, experienced soldier.
- The first use of the word “veteran” was in 1789, in the English language when referring a former member of the armed forces or an ex-serviceman.