Many glance at their calendars during November and notice that Veterans Day always falls on the 11th of the month, no matter the year. But for some reason, it's easy to confuse this day with Memorial Day, which falls in May.
Despite this confusion, the purpose of Veterans Day is pretty straightforward—it honors the veterans that put their lives in peril to serve and protect our great nation. Even still, there are at least five things that you probably didn’t know about Veterans Day that could use some clarification.
Believe it or not, Veterans Day never includes an apostrophe in between the “n” and “s” in veterans. This version would make it seem that the day belongs to one veteran, which isn't the case. This holiday honors all our veterans, so the apostrophe isn’t necessary.
More often than not, people confuse this holiday with Memorial Day. To clear the air, Veterans Day celebrates those living veterans who served and continue to serve our country.
Memorial Day honors and pays tribute to these veterans and military service members who, unfortunately, are no longer with us. When you think about it, the phrase “Happy Memorial Day” can sound a bit off-putting now that we clear up the difference.
Veterans Day started as Armistice Day and commemorated the end of World War I. But after World War II and the Korean War, Congress switched the name to honor veterans of all wars.
At one point, people observed Veterans Day in October, but it didn’t last long, as the public was unhappy with the switch. So, they chose to continue to recognize the holiday in its original month—November.
Other countries like Canada and Australia observe this holiday as well; however, they observe it under a different name, “Remembrance Day.” These countries both set aside this day to honor their fallen heroes.
Our military veterans deserve our utmost respect for the continuous work they put in to keep our country safe. While you probably didn’t know these five things about Veterans Day, there’s no need to beat yourself up about it! This year, you can observe the day with a newfound resounding reverence knowing a bit more about the day’s background.
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