Veteran’s day facts
Veterans Day is the day we remember and honor all men and women who have fought in combat since World War I. It is marked each year on November 11th, the anniversary of the signing of the armistice (cease-fire) that ended that war. The armistice was signed in 1918, and President Woodrow Wilson first began the tradition of it as a day of American national remembrance in November 1919. In 1938, it became an official national holiday, and in 1954 it became known as Veterans Day instead of Armistice Day.
Some facts about this commemoration:
- The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery was dedicated, in 1921, to the memory of all military personnel who were not able to be identified before burial.
- Across the country, many restaurants and fast food chains offer free meals to veterans.
- In New Zealand, France, Belgium, and Serbia, it is still known as Armistice Day.
- In most British Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and South Africa, it is known as Remembrance Day.
- In Europe, it is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.
- Unlike in the US, where there is a Memorial Day, in most other nations, November 11th serves as a memorial only for those who have died while serving their country.
- Red poppies are associated with remembrance because, particularly in Belgium, poppies quickly grew up in the fields where soldiers were buried during World War I.
Veterans numbers
- 6 million living veterans served during at least one war.
- 2 million veterans served in peacetime.
- 2 million veterans are women.
- As of 2017, 2.9 million veterans received compensation for service-connected disabilities.
- As of 2017, 3 states have more than 1 million veterans among their population:
- California (1.8 million)
- Florida (1.6 million)
- Texas (1.7 million)
The table below has information about the total number of service members, battle deaths, and living veterans in wars from 1775 to 2017:
|
WAR |
Total servicemembers |
Battle deaths |
Living veterans |
|
American Revolution (1775-1783) |
217,000 |
4,435 |
|
|
War of 1812 (1812-1815) |
286,730 |
2,260 |
|
|
Indian Wars (1817-1898) |
106,001 |
1,001 |
|
|
Mexican War (1846-1848) |
78,718 |
1,733 |
|
|
Civil War (1861-1865) |
2,213,363 (Union) 1,050,000 (Conf) |
140,414 (Union) 74,524 (Conf) |
|
|
Spanish-American (1898-1902) |
306,760 |
385 |
|
|
World War I (1917-1918) |
4,734,991 |
53,402 |
|
|
World War II (1940-1945) |
16,112,566 |
291,557 |
1,711,001 |
|
Korean War (1950-1953) |
5,720,000 |
33,739 |
2,275,000 |
|
Vietnam War (1964-1975) |
8,744,000 |
47,434 |
7,391,000 |
|
Gulf War (1990-1991) |
2,322,000 |
148 |
2,244,583 |
|
Recent Global Wars |
4,000 (Iraq) 6,000 (Siria) 11,000 (Afghanistan) |
6,930 |
|
Sources: Department of Defense and Veterans Administration (through infoplease.com)
