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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 2020)
Saluting our Soldiers November 2020 Military Profiles & Photos A tribute to veterans brought to you by the Siuslaw News History of Veterans Day V eterans Day gives us the opportunity to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans. However, most Americans confuse this hol- iday with Memorial Day, re- ports the Department of Veter- ans Affairs. What’s more, some Americans don’t know why we commemorate our veterans on Nov. 11. It’s imperative that all Americans know the histo- ry of Veterans Day so that we can honor our former service members properly. A History of Veterans Day Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to hon- or the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislation that was passed in 1938, Nov. 11 was “ded- icated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.’” As such, this new legal holiday hon- ored World War I veterans. In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress — at the urging of the veterans service organizations — ment — a complete schedule can be found here. State and lo- cal government closings are de- termined locally, and non-gov- ernment businesses can close or remain open as they see fit. amended the Act of 1938 by strik- ing out the word “armistice” and inserting the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this leg- islation on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars. In 1968, the Uniforms Holiday Bill ensured three-day weekends for federal employees by cele- brating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. Under this bill, Veterans Day was moved to the last Monday of October. Many states did not agree with this de- cision and continued to celebrate the holiday on its original date. Finally, on Sept. 20, 1975, Pres- ident Gerald R. Ford signed a law which returned the annual obser- vance of Veterans Day to its orig- inal date of Nov. 11, beginning in 1978. Since then, the Veterans Day holiday has been observed on Nov. 11. Celebrating Veterans Day If the Nov. 11 holiday falls on a non-workday — Saturday or Sun- day — the holiday is observed by the federal government on Mon- day (if the holiday falls on Sun- day) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday). Federal government closings are established by the U.S. Office of Personnel Manage- Diff erence between Veterans Day & Memorial Day Memorial Day honors service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during bat- tle. Deceased veterans are also remembered on Veterans Day, but the day is set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military — in wartime or peacetime. President Eisenhower’s letter to Harvey V. Higley, Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs, designating him Chairman, Veterans Day Na- tional Committee on Oct. 8, 1954, included: “It is my earnest hope that all vet- erans, their organizations and the entire citizenry will join hands to insure proper and widespread ob- servance of this day. ... “I have every confidence that our Nation will respond wholehearted- ly in the appropriate observance of Veterans Day.”