Today is Veterans Day. Veterans' Day began as Armistice Day to denote the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice ending World War I on November 11, 1918. In 1926, Congress passed a Joint Resolution asking for its observance but it stopped short of declaring it a holiday. That occurred in 1938, the twentieth anniversary of Armistice Day, by that point Armistice Day was a state holiday in at least 27 states.
After World War II and during the Korean War, both of which had larger mobilizations than World War I, the name was changed to Veterans’ Day in 1954. Unlike Memorial Day, which pays tribute to those who died in Military Service, Veterans' Day commemorates all veterans, living and dead.
During the 1970s, Veterans Day was lumped in with several other holidays notably, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day and Columbus Day, to be observed as Monday holidays. From 1971-1977, Veterans' Day was celebrated on the fourth Monday in October despite the fact that many states continued to observe it on November 11. In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed legislation moving Veterans' Day back to November 11 beginning in 1978 where it has been ever since.
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Veterans Day is celebrated in a variety of ways. In Columbia, a large parade makes its way down Sumter Street. So, let us all honor the sacrifices that our Veterans have made, and will continue to make, to protect our freedoms.
