Veterans Day is observed every November 11 (marking the 1918 end of World War I at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month).
Unlike Memorial Day (which honors service members who died in battle), Veterans Day celebrates all living and deceased U.S. veterans who served during war or peacetime.
The official observance features a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Veterans Day was originally proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson as Armistice Day to commemorate the end of World War I. Congress made it a legal federal holiday in 1938.
Following World War II and the Korean War, the holiday was renamed in 1954 to honor American veterans of all conflicts.
Veterans Day was briefly moved to October in 1971 under the Uniform Holiday Bill, which was intended to ensure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. There was general confusion about the change of dates and general disapproval by the general public so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978.
Veterans Day is a state government holiday. Federal Government offices are closed on November 11. If Veterans Day falls on a Saturday, they are closed on Friday November 10. If Veterans Day falls on a Sunday, they are closed on Monday November 12. State and local governments, schools and non-governmental businesses are not required to close and may decide to remain open or closed. Public transit systems may follow a regular or holiday schedule. Locally, some banks and other businesses are closed as well as the post office.
Information from Time and Date and the VA websites.
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