How Veteran's Day came to be -- and how it's celebrated today

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Veterans Day began as a way to commemorate the end of the first World War. 

Every year on November 11, the United States of America pauses to celebrate and honor the brave people who have proudly served their country as part of the Armed Forces.

But how did this important holiday come to be? How was it celebrated initially, and how has it changed over the years? Read on for more on the history of Veterans Day, and on the individual heroes who helped to make it the important holiday it is today. 

Veterans Day: Origins as Armistice Day

On November 11, 1918 (at 11 a.m. – the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month), the first World War ended. In 1926, a Congressional resolution made the name "Armistice Day" an official one, commemorating the end of the war. 12 years after that, Congress decreed that the 11th of November would be a national holiday. 

But a key symbol (and one of our most hallowed national monuments) of what would become Veterans Day predates even that first Congressional act.

Veterans Day: The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Three years later, November 11 gained even more significance: An unknown soldier was interred in Arlington Cemetery, on a hill overlooking the Potomac River. That ceremony was echoed in England and France on the same day, with unidentified servicemen buried in places of great honor: Westminster Abbey and the Arc de Triomphe. 

The monument was the brainchild of New York Congressman Hamilton Fish Jr., himself a veteran of what was then known as the Great War. His legislation mandated that the U.S. "bring home the body of an unknown American warrior who in himself represents no section, creed, or race in the late war and who typifies, moreover, the soul of America and the supreme sacrifice of her heroic dead."

Since then, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been a focal point, not just for Veterans Day – though it does play a key role in the holiday each year – but as a revered national monument. In the years since, more unidentified soldiers have been interred at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In 1958, unknown casualties from World War II and the Korean War were laid to rest alongside that first Unknown Soldier. 

Eventually, a Vietnam War unknown was interred alongside his fallen brethren, but Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie was identified in the 1990s, leading to his exhumation and relocation at his family’s request. In 1999, on National POW/MIA Recognition Day, the crypt for the Vietnam War unknown was "rededicated to honor all missing U.S. service members from the Vietnam War."

Congressman Hamilton Fish Jr. isn’t the only Veteran to have played a major role in how we honor our veterans annually. Read on for more. 

2023's official Veterans Day poster, designed by Gene Russell, an Army Infantry Veteran and VA employee.

Veterans Day: How one hero brought a holiday to life

In 1947, a veteran of World War II named Raymond Weeks had an idea. Recognizing that the U.S. already honored its fallen service members on Memorial Day, Weeks set out to find a way to honor veterans across the country. This became the first celebration to use the name "Veterans Day": a parade in Weeks’ hometown of Birmingham, AL, held on Armistice Day, November 11. 

Less than a decade later, Weeks’ idea had taken hold, and Congress passed a bill that made November 11, now called Veterans Day, a national holiday.

More than 75 years later, that idea Raymond Weeks brought to life still takes place, with ceremonies across the country honoring the sacrifices of all U.S. veterans – and in honor of his impact on the country, President Ronald Reagan awarded Weeks with the Presidential Citizens Medal in 1982. 

Veterans Day: How we celebrate today

Today, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier remains a revered site. The "Old Guard," as the Army’s 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment is informally known, guards the tomb around the clock. The inscription on the Tomb’s west side reads, "Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God." And every year, the United States of America recognizes one of its most sacred holidays with a ceremony that begins promptly at 11 a.m., when a Presidential wreath is laid at the Tomb and "taps" is played, followed by a ceremony in a nearby amphitheater.

This isn’t the only way in which the holiday is celebrated. Parades take place across the country, a continuation of the thoughtful event Weeks brought to life. The National Parks Service welcomes visitors for free on Veterans Day every year – a fitting offer, as many of our National Parks have ties to the military and our national history. And communities across the country organize events as varied as "care package parties," hospital visits, fundraising galas and good old-fashioned dances to support our troops – those who’ve served in the past and those who are serving today. 

Veterans Day events in Florida

In 2023, the Veterans Day National Committee has selected multiple sites in Florida as official locations for Veterans Day events. 

• Ponce Inlet Veterans Memorial in Ponce Inlet, FL
• Veterans Memorial Park in Oldsmar, FL
• Coconut Grove, American Legion Post 182 in Miami, FL
• Hollywood, FL
• Veterans Memorial Park and Rear Admiral LeRoy Collins Jr. Veterans Museum in Tampa, FL
• Department of Consumer & Veterans Services in Hillsborough County, Florida

This year, the 11th falls on a Saturday, so government buildings will be closed in observance of the holiday on Friday, November 10 instead.