Veterans Day And Memorial Day Are Not The Same: 5 Things To Know

Monday is Veterans Day, always observed on Nov. 11 on the anniversary of the signing of the armistice ending World War I at 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. A federal holiday, it honors any member who served the U.S. armed services, living or dead.

Although originally called Armistice Day in deference to the treaty, the observance was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to include veterans who served in World War II and the Korean War.

However, the first celebration using the term Veterans Day was held in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1947. Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran, organized a “National Veterans Day” parade and other festivities to honor veterans, regardless of the war or conflict during their service.

About 15.8 million people, or 6.1 percent of the civilian population, are veterans of the armed services, according to a Census Bureau report. Within the veteran population, 0.6 percent served in World War II, 3.5 percent in the Korean War, 33 percent during the Vietnam War, 24.8 percent during the Persian Gulf War, and 28.0 percent during the post-9/11 period from September 2001 to the present.

The report, based on 2023 data, also shows 1.7 million women (10.9 percent of the total veteran population) have served in the armed forces. Also, 12.6 percent of veterans are Black or African American and 8.6 percent of veterans are Hispanic or Latino.

A separate report from The National WWII Museum in New Orleans estimates only 66,143 of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II were still living in early 2024.

Here are 5 things you may not know about Veterans Day:

It’s Not Memorial Day

Memorial Day in May is a day to reflect on military personnel who gave their lives in service to their country, particularly in battle or from wounds associated with battle.

Veterans Day, on the other hand, honors those who have served the country in war or peace — dead or alive — although it’s largely intended to recognize living veterans for their sacrifices.

Of the two, Memorial Day is considered the far more significant holiday because it honors those so devoted to the ideas of America and service that they were willing to lay down their lives.

How Is Veterans Day Observed?

In addition to the national Veterans Day observance held precisely at 11:11 a.m. every Nov. 11 at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery, similar VA-approved tributes are held around the country. This year, 56 communities in 29 states and the District of Columbia will host official VA-recognized observances. Find a regional Veterans Day event.

Communities across the country include local VA-approved events. Find a local Veterans Day event. Events include services at national and state veterans cemeteries, parades and festivals.

Because Veterans Day is a federal holiday, many government offices will be closed, as will banks and the Post Office.

Vets May Not Want To Be Thanked

With all good intentions, people often thank veterans for their service.

“This may surprise you, but I am not comfortable with ‘thank you’ for your service,” retired Lt. Robert Yates, a helicopter aircraft commander and search and rescue pilot, told Military.com, a news and resource site for veterans, military personnel and their families.

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“Most of us were just doing what we had to do,” he said. “It was not some noble quest; it was simply doing a job expected to us.”

Yates said his choice to serve in the military didn’t make him “any more or less entitled to gratitude than any other position of service.”

A better approach is to sit down and talk with a veteran. But “read the room” before starting a conversation, Military.com advised, because many veterans will relive some of the most difficult days of their lives on Veterans Day.

Also, don’t ask veterans about how many kills or battles they’ve been in, according to the American Legion, which also notes that Veterans Day is for all veterans, not just for those who served in combat.

Forgotten Vets Languish On A Shelf

The VA estimates that the cremains of between 11,500 and 52,600 veterans, some who served their country as far back as the Civil War, are unclaimed at funeral homes and morgues around the country.

There are multiple reasons a veteran’s remains might linger on a shelf awaiting burial, according to the Missing in America Project, which has provided thousands of dignified burials for forgotten veterans since 2006. Their families may be unable to pay for burial, or they may have been one of more than 35,500 veterans who are homeless.

The Missing in America Project aims to locate, identify and inter unclaimed cremains of veterans through the joint efforts of private, state and federal organizations. The first such service was held in 2006, when the cremains of 21 veterans were interred with full military honors at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery. Similar military services have since been held in every state.

This year in a post-Veterans Day service on Nov. 20, the cremains of 19 unclaimed veterans and two spouses of veterans will be interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, located at 23029 N. Cave Creek Road in Phoenix.

“This project has just begun. We need to blanket every mortuary and cemetery in the United States and let them know there are people who desire to claim our veterans,” the group said on its website. “These forgotten veterans have served our country and, as such, deserve to be buried with honor and respect.”

How To Talk To Kids About Veterans Day

New York Times bestselling author Marcus Brotherton, author of “A Bright and Blinding Sun: A World War II Story of Survival, Love and Redemption,” wrote in an essay on Fox News that Veterans Day is a platform to talk to kids about war.

Some lessons he would impart:

• Be a peacemaker. When conflicts arise, think about how to solve differences peacefully, similar to how countries use sanctions and embargoes.
• Repeat the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who said in his 1941 “Day of Infamy” speech to Congress that “hostilities exist.” The same is true today, though hostilities exist in different forms. “Regretfully,” Brotherton wrote, “as children you need to know that not everyone around the world loves you or your country.”
• Tell kids they may one day have to fight for their country. “Think of it this way: Two kids are fighting on the playground, and you know it’s best to stay out of it,” Brotherton wrote. “But what if one child is bullied by a mean kid? You’d want to stop the bully, either by yourself or by calling a teacher to intervene.”
• War, despite the triumphant images of soldiers returning home, is always horrible. “When young soldiers go off to war, it’s not like they’re football players rushing onto the field for the big game,” he wrote. “War is not a pep rally. War is a vicious hell. It’s to be avoided whenever possible because it’s always highly destructive.”

Other Countries Observe It, Too

World War I was a multinational effort, and U.S. allies observe their own traditions on Nov. 11.

In Canada and Australia, the observance is known as “Remembrance Day.” One big difference in Canada is that people wear poppy flowers, a tradition associated in the United States with Memorial Day. In Australia, the observance is akin to the U.S. observance of Memorial Day.

The observance is Remembrance Day in Great Britain, too, but it is observed on the Sunday closest to Nov. 11 with parades, services and two minutes of silence in London to honor those who lost their lives in war.