Veterans Day Explained (a bit)

Every year on November 11th, the United States celebrates Veterans Day, originally known as Armistice Day. On that day, we honor military veterans of all US Armed Forces. The day was specifically chosen because of World War I. The formal end to major WWI hostilities occurred on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 which is why we celebrate it on the 11th day of the 11th month. (It was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.) Memorial Day, a day that honors those who have died while in military service, is designated on the last Monday of May (From 1868 to 1970, it was observed on May 30. Since 1971, it has been observed on the last Monday of May). The differences between the two may be difficult to remember, so maybe we can do it this way:

Memorial Day begins with M. Monday and May both begin with M. So Memorial Day is in May, when the flowers come out and you can take them and place them on the graves of fallen soldiers.

Veterans Day begins with V. November has a V. So, Veterans Day is in November when the leaves are colorfully decorating the trees all over and making a beautiful backdrop for your Veterans Day parade.

So, there you go.

You’re welcome.

And now to know how to spell Veterans Day. Is it Veteran’s, Veterans’, or Veterans?

1. The first (Veteran’s) means that you have one veteran, and with the possessive “s” you are saying that the day belongs only to that person. So, no. Not Veteran’s.

2. The second (Veterans’) means that you have many veterans, and with the end possessive “s” that the day belongs to all the veterans in the US. Well, no. It doesn’t belong to them. We are honoring them. All the rest of us should be involved to thank them for their duty, to appreciate what they’ve done for us, and for everyone to fully understand the sacrifice they have made for us since the First World War.

3. So, the third choice is the correct one: Veterans Day. It is designated for everyone to be involved to honor and thank all veterans. So, find the parade in your town, and cheer for your veterans.

(Of course, things are a lot more nuanced than the simple explanation above, so make sure to look up information about Veterans Day and Memorial Day online if you’d like more information.)

Thank you for your service VETERANS!!!!