became a national holiday beginning in 1938. The holiday, unlike Memorial Day, is a day meant to celebrate American veterans, living or dead, that sacrificed greatly during the war.
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Armistice Day was originally observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11.00 a.m. Every November 11, the United States celebrates and pays tribute to our veterans in honour of the eleventh hour of the eleventh month.
VETERAN’S
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eterans Day, also known as Armistice Day, first originated on November 11 1919. It marked the first anniversary of the end of World War 1—known then as “The Great War”, which ended on November 11, 1918. President Wilson on November 11, 1919, proclaimed it as Armistice Day by saying, “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations….”
In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially changed the holiday’s name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day. In 1971, Veterans Day was moved from November 11 to the fourth of Monday of October after the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed in 1968. The holiday was reverted to November 11 in 1975, by President Gerald Ford. Veterans Day is not a preserve of America—Great Britain, France, Australia and Canada have their version of the day. Their commemoration of veterans happens on or near November 11— Canada has Remembrance Day while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (usually the second Sunday of November). The theme of Veterans Day 2021, “Honoring All Who Served”, is centred on the centennial commemoration of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Army initially dedicated the tomb located at Arlington National Cemetery on Armistice Day on November 11, 1921. It was commemorated with the burial of a fallen unknown service member in World War I. Over the years, other servicemen have been buried in the tomb.
But it wasn’t until Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance that November 11
The 2021 National Veterans Day Poster Contest seeks artwork from artists nationwide. The Veterans Day National Committee annually seeks new design submissions and selects the poster that best commemorates Veterans Day and
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THE POWER IS NOW MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2021
