28 Veterans Day Facts We're Sure You Never Knew

Military Veteran — The wife of an Army 7th Special Forces Group veteran could be deported if a Virginia immigration court rules against Elia Crawford, the wife of retired Sgt. 1st Class Bob Crawford. In this representation photo, U.S. military veterans set up 1,892 American flags on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., March 27, 2014. Getty Images/ Win McNamee

KEY POINTS

Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day
It was previously moved to the 4th Monday of October
5.9 million veterans served in the Vietnam War

Veterans Day is celebrated every Nov. 11 in the United States in honor of the patriotism of the nation's military veterans. Everyone knows it as a national holiday, but there are some things about Veterans Day that only a few people know.

Here are some lesser-known but interesting facts about Veterans Day.

1. It was originally called "Armistice Day."

Veterans Day originated on Nov. 11, 1919, to commemorate the first anniversary of the end of World War I, also known as the Great War.

2. It officially became a national holiday in 1938.

Landing gear final inspector Henao works on a piece of landing gear at AAR's facility in Medley, Florida — Landing gear final inspector Ruben Henao, a U.S. Army veteran who has worked at AAR Landing Gear Services for seven years, performs a final inspection on a piece of landing gear at AAR's facility in Medley, Florida February 2, 2012. REUTERS

In 1926, the American Congress passed a resolution to make it an annual event. It was only in 1938 that the date became officially a national holiday.

3. Veterans Day is not just for dead veterans.

Veterans Day is different from Memorial Day in the sense that the former also honors living veterans. Most celebrations, however, mainly focus on commemorating the late veterans.

4. It is not only observed in the United States.

Soldiers stand in a parade at the military arcade during a ceremony marking the army Remembrance Day in Lagos, Nigeria January 15, 2017. Reuters / Akintunde Akinleye

Canada, Australia, Belgium, France and Great Britain also honor their veterans on or near the same date as the U.S. Canadians celebrate "Remembrance Day," while the British people have "Remembrance Sunday" every second Sunday of November.

5. 400,000+ military men are remembered at exactly 11 am in Arlington.

arlington-national-cemetery-2225762_1920 — Pixabay

Arlington National Cemetery is home to the graves of more than 400,000 people who served in the military. They are honored every Veterans Day through a memorial service at exactly 11 am, the time of the WWI armistice signing.

6. 167,000 WWII veterans still live.

Around 16 million Americans offered service during World War II. Out of this number, about 167,000 are still alive today.

7. The National WWII Museum has a $400 million capital campaign.

A man looks at an art exhibit at the National Veterans Art Museum in Chicago — Robert Cogswell looks at "Intrusive Thoughts", an art exhibit, at the National Veterans Art Museum in Chicago July 20, 2011. The museum houses more than 2,000 pieces of art by veterans from World War II to the current conflicts in the Middle East. The museum faces the risk of complete shutdown unless they can raise millions of dollars just to survive. Picture taken July 20, 2011. Reuters

The museum holds exhibits and oral history events, along with a well-funded capital campaign to recognize the sacrifice of the war generation.

8. The date was once moved to the 4th Monday of October.

Gen. Vincent Brooks — Commanding General United States Army Pacific Command Vincent K. Brooks addresses the crowd during Veterans Day ceremonies at Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii on November 11, 2013. REUTERS/Hugh Gentry

In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Act, moving Veterans Day to every fourth Monday of October. The Act took effect in 1971, but the holiday was moved back to November 11 in 1975 after President Gerald Ford signed a law.

9. There is also a National Atomic Veterans Day.

army recruiting — The Army says the improving U.S. economy has made it more difficult to meet recruitment goals. Pictured: U.S. Army veteran Chris Murphy stands in a parking lot outside of a U.S. military recruiting center in Everett, Washington, July 23, 2015. Reuters/David Ryder

July 16, 1983, was designated by President Ronald Reagan as a one-time commemoration of military service members who joined the 1945-1962 nuclear tests, served with forces, or were held as prisoners in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

10. It recently became an official annual commemoration.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks prior to awarding Medals of Honor to U.S. Army veterans who fought in the Vietnam War, during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 5, 2022. Reuters / KEVIN LAMARQUE

The National Atomic Veterans Day was again celebrated on July 16, 2021, after President Joe Biden signed a law to annually commemorate veterans who were exposed to high levels of radiation during their service, causing serious medical complications.

11. 7.8 million veterans served during the Gulf War era.

GettyImages-71075763-1 — World War II veteran Bob Wakefield greets fellow veteran Peter J. Meremdo next to members of the National Parks Service who are dressed in period military uniforms at the World War II Memorial, May 29, 2006, in Washington, D.C. Getty Images

12. The Veterans Day National Committee meets three times a year.

RTR3KMGQ — U.S. military veteran applicant holds his resume at a hiring fair for veteran job seekers and military spouses at the Verizon Center in Washington April 9, 2014. Reuters/Gary Cameron

Since 1954, there has been a committee in charge of planning for the holiday. They meet three times a year in Washington, D.C., to talk about the preparations.

13. It is "Veterans Day," not "Veteran's Day."

Former US senator Bob Dole, a World War II veteran, visits the new World War II Memorial in Washington in 2004 -- he served as chairman of a campaign to raise funding for the monument GETTY IMAGES via AFP / MARK WILSON

The missing apostrophe is by no means a grammatical mishap. As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs explains it, "Veterans Day does not include an apostrophe but does include an 's' at the end of 'veterans' because it is not a day that 'belongs' to veterans, it is a day for honoring all veterans."

14. 5.9 million veterans served in the Vietnam War.

Visitors' shadows are seen cast on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, etched with the names of more than 58,000 U.S. servicemen and women who died in the war, in Washington, U.S., November 11, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

15. Deceased K9 fellows are also honored.

New orders for US military aircraft soared more than 80 percent in June POOL via AFP / Sarah Silbiger

National K9 Veterans Day is observed annually on March 13 as a tribute to deceased military and working dogs throughout history.

16. 933,000 veterans fought and served during the Korean War.

Watch: Biden Awards Korean War Veteran Col. Ralph Puckett Jr. With Medal Of Honor

17. 77% of veterans in 2016 served during wartime.

US Veteran Disabled Texas Pic #2 Getty Image — PFC Josh Stein, 22, a double amputee rehab patient, lost his legs to an explosion in Iraq in 2006. Getty Images

The remaining 23% only served during peacetime, according to the Pew Research Center.

18. In the coming years, the U.S. veteran population is expected to be more diverse in terms of race and ethnicity.

Veterans Job Fair — U.S. Army personnel talk to employers at the "Hire Our Heroes" Job fair in Utah in March 2014. The fair, which is sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is intended to assist veterans, active-duty military, members of the National Guard and Reserve and military spouses to obtain information on veteran benefits, employment or to upgrade their current job situations. Reuters

19. Americans believe that veterans' services are important.

holiday WH visitors notes to veterans -- samantha appleton — Notes written to thank American military servicemen and women in a basket in the White House in 2010. Samantha Appleton, White House photographer

A study conducted in March 2019 revealed that 72% of U.S. adults said that if they were in charge of the federal budget, they would allot a higher budget for veterans' benefits and services.

20. Research claims that the number of female veterans will reach 18% by 2045.

US President-elect Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden pay their respects during a Veterans Day stop at the Korean War Memorial Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 11, 2020 AFP / ANGELA WEISS

21. The number of U.S. Citizens with military experience is decreasing.

"We all have depression, anxiety, trauma from the war," says US army veteran Ivan Ocon, who was deported to Mexico AFP / HERIKA MARTINEZ

Based on the reports of the Census Bureau, about 7% of U.S. adults in 2018 were veterans; whereas, in 1980, 18% of the population were veterans.

22. The military draft era ended in 1973.

Former United States Marine Hershel 'Woody' Williams, a U.S. Medal of Honor recipient and the last surviving member of the famous Iwo Jima flag raising image, rides on a float during the New York City Veterans Day parade on 5th Avenue in New York, November 11, 2013. Reuters / Mike Segar

This is seen as one of the reasons for the declining number of veterans in the United States.

23. More than 2 million women veterans reside in the U.S. as of May 2022.

GettyImages-689027390 — Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis presents a diploma during the U.S. Military Academy Class of 2017 graduation in West Point, New York. A federal judge recently ruled that an all-male draft is unconstitutional on the basis of gender discrimination. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images

24. Veterans and active service members qualify for different freebies, deals and discounts.

red lobster — Pictured is Red Lobster's Langostino Lobster-Artichoke-and-Seafood Dip, one of the restaurant's free food offerings for Veterans Day 2019. Red Lobster

Businesses traditionally offer free meals and gifts to eligible veterans during November, especially on Veterans Day. Discounts are also given to them in restaurants, goods, services and events.

25. Alaska, Virginia and Montana have the highest veterans percentage as of 2022.

Eighty-nine year-old village elder and World War II veteran Clifton Jackson talks about being the first citizen in the nation to be enumerated for the 2010 Census in his home in Noorvik, Alaska. — Eighty-nine year-old village elder and World War II veteran Clifton Jackson talks about being the first citizen in the nation to be enumerated for the 2010 Census in his home in Noorvik, Alaska in this January 25, 2010 handout. When the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 population count officially kicks off on Monday, the roughly 600 residents of a remote Inupiat Eskimo village in Alaska are due to be the first citizens to be tallied. REUTERS

26. There is no standard rule regarding whether schools must be closed on Veterans Day.

Children wearing protective face masks stand holding signs during a Veterans Day ceremony at the John Philip Sousa Memorial Bandshell at Sunset Park in Port Washington, New York, U.S. November 11, 2021. Reuters / SHANNON STAPLETON

While some schools close on the holiday, it depends on the school boards and officials whether or not to hold classes on Nov. 11.

27. There is a National Native American Veterans Memorial.

It was unveiled by the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C., on Veterans Day in 2020.

28. Sheldon Adelson is the richest living American veteran.

Mogul Sheldon Adelson (L) and his wife Miriam Ochsorn attend the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in September 2016 AFP / Paul J. RICHARDS

With a net worth of $35.5 billion, Sheldon Adelson is among the top billionaire veterans. After serving in the army for three years, he and his brother sold packaged hotel toiletries. Now he is in the casino business.

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