Veterans Day

Veterans Day honors every man and woman who has served in the United States Armed Forces — the millions of Americans across 250 years who put on the uniform, left their families, and stood watch so that their fellow citizens could live in peace and freedom. Unlike Memorial Day, which honors those who died in service, Veterans Day celebrates all who have served — living and deceased alike.

It is a day to say "thank you" to the veterans in every American's life — neighbors, parents, grandparents, friends — and to recognize that American freedom has always depended on the courage and commitment of those willing to defend it.

Veterans Day traces its origins to the end of World War I. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, an armistice took effect between the Allied powers and Germany, ending the most devastating conflict the world had ever seen. The following year, November 11 became Armistice Day — a day of remembrance and celebration across the Allied nations.

Congress officially recognized Armistice Day as a federal holiday in 1938. After World War II and the Korean War added new generations of veterans, Congress renamed it Veterans Day in 1954, expanding its meaning to honor all who had served in the nation's armed forces.

The holiday is observed on November 11 in recognition of the original armistice — a date that resonates across the country and around the world.

Veterans Day matters because American freedom has never been an abstraction. It has been defended — in the mud of the Argonne Forest, on the beaches of Normandy, in the mountains of Korea, in the jungles of Vietnam, and in the deserts of the Middle East — by ordinary Americans who chose to serve.

Over 250 years, more than 40 million Americans have served in the nation's armed forces. Veterans Day is the nation's formal expression of gratitude to each of them — a reminder that the peace and prosperity Americans enjoy did not simply happen, but was protected by men and women who answered the call.

Americans observe Veterans Day with parades in communities across the country, ceremonies at veterans memorials, recognition events at schools and workplaces, free meals and discounts for veterans at restaurants and businesses, and the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been guarded continuously since 1937 — 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in every kind of weather — by the sentinels of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard). The Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington is one of the most moving events on the American patriotic calendar.

As America marks 250 years, Veterans Day carries special meaning. The freedom Americans celebrate in 2026 was not handed to them — it was won at Yorktown, preserved at Gettysburg, defended at the Meuse-Argonne, secured at Normandy, and protected in every conflict since.

Veterans Day 2026 is an opportunity for the nation to express its enduring gratitude to the more than 40 million Americans who have served across those 250 years — and to recognize that the republic's survival and prosperity have always depended on the willingness of citizens to serve.