Slideshow: Veterans Day (photos, videos)

November 11, 2:17 PMUS Headlines ExaminerCharisse Van Horn

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Veterans Day is a federal holiday observed on November 11th. If November 11th falls on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, however, Veterans Day is observed the following Monday. The United States isn’t the only country that honors their military’s veterans. In the United Kingdom, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on June 27th. Armed Forces day is similar to Veterans Day. Other parts of the world choose to celebrate their nation’s veterans on November 11th, yet these observances are referred to as Remembrance Day or Armistice Day. In the United States, the first Veterans Day was observed on November 11, 1919 and it was called Armistice Day.

Armistice Day is different from Veterans Day in the respect that it remembers the armistice signed between the Allies of World War 1 and Germany at Compiègne, France. Therefore, Armistice Day celebrates and remembers those who served in World War 1.

On June 4, 1926, Congress passed a resolution ensuring that each November 11th would be celebrated as Armistice Day. On May 13, 1938, November 11th was declared to be a legal holiday

On November 11, 1953, Armistice Day, Al King, a shoe store owner began a campaign to expand Armistice Day to include all veterans who served in the military and not solely in World War 1. On November 8, 1954 Congress passed the amendment and Armistice Day became Veterans Day.
Most businesses remain open on Veterans Day however banks are closed.