Veterans' Day, formerly called Armistice Day, is the day the United States commemorates the contributions of those who have served in its military. It falls on the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended the First World War. It is celebrated as a federal holiday on 11 November. All major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. Armistice Day was first commemorated in the United States by President Wilson in 1919, and many states made it a legal holiday. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 inviting all Americans to observe the day, and made it a legal holiday nationwide in 1938. The holiday has been observed annually on November 11 since that date - first as Armistice Day, later as Veterans' Day - except for a brief period when it was celebrated on the fourth Monday of October.

Although it is a federal holiday and most schools and government institutions are closed, very few businesses close and most delivery services other than the Post Office stay on regular schedules. As a result, most public transit systems are on regular schedules as well even though they are usually run by the local government. Most businesses claim that its occurring only two weeks from Thanksgiving (when most corporations close for a four-day weekend) as the main reason.

On November 11th, 1953, the citizens of Emporia, Kansas staged a Veterans' Day observence in lieu of an Armistice Day remembrance. Representative Ed Rees of Emporia, Kansas subsequently introduced legislation into the House of Representatives to officially change the name of Armistice Day to Veterans' Day ^*. Following a letter writing campaign to secure the support of all state governors in the observance of this new holiday, the name of the holiday was changed to Veterans' Day (enacted 1 June, 1954), to honor those who served in all American wars. The day has since evolved as a time for honoring living veterans who have served in the military during wartime or peacetime, partially to complement Memorial Day, which primarily honors the dead. There has been some discussion of whether a person's veteran status depends upon their retirement or discharge from any of the armed forces, however, the term applies to any that have honorably served their country for longer than their initial enlistment or that have served in a war zone as directed by their superior officers or as directed by lawful orders given by their country.

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Press Release: Starting on Veteran's Day, Big Boy Restaurants in... http://tinyurl.com/ykmslo8
eunicmlp (Eunice Pearson) Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:05:56 -0000
Press Release: Starting on Veteran's Day, Big Boy Restaurants in... http://tinyurl.com/ykmslo8
West Point Glee Club: National Anthem Veteran's Day, November 11, 2009 (ESPN) - http://tinyurl.com/ydkty9j
trends8 (trends8) Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:05:49 -0000
West Point Glee Club: National Anthem Veteran's Day, November 11, 2009 (ESPN) - http://tinyurl.com/ydkty9j
@gusshakey ....Really? On World AIDS Day? Wow. Remind me to make a horribly offensive joke about soldiers on Veteran's Day... ;) #red
FiendAngelical (Ashleigh) Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:53:15 -0000
@gusshakey ....Really? On World AIDS Day? Wow. Remind me to make a horribly offensive joke about soldiers on Veteran's Day... ;) #red
RT @dawn2121: wants you to visit the FSC Military Veteran's group as they remember Pearl Harbor Day on December 7 in the CC Lobby from 1 ...
Mahhc (Marc Long) Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:51:02 -0000
RT @dawn2121: wants you to visit the FSC Military Veteran's group as they remember Pearl Harbor Day on December 7 in the CC Lobby from 1 ...
wants you to visit the FSC Military Veteran's group as they remember Pearl Harbor Day on December 7 in the CC Lobby from 11 am - 3 pm.
dawn2121 (Dawn Ross) Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:48:05 -0000
wants you to visit the FSC Military Veteran's group as they remember Pearl Harbor Day on December 7 in the CC Lobby from 11 am - 3 pm.
@SonnCom Why didn't twitter go yellow for veteran's day? AIDS day is BS, call it STD day, don't single out 1 damn virus
jester8170 (Jonathan Gruenke) Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:20:31 -0000
@SonnCom Why didn't twitter go yellow for veteran's day? AIDS day is BS, call it STD day, don't single out 1 damn virus

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