Written by Myra Aggarwal, a grade 9 student

Veterans Day is a federal holiday in the United States, which is observed annually on November 11. It’s celebrated to honor the military veterans- people who served in the US Armed Forces. Veteran’s day salutes their service, their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve. On this day, a Veteran’s Day parade is performed, and many people organize assemblies, group activities and plan service events to show respect towards veterans and to thank them for their sacrifices during wartimes.

All American workers and many students have Veterans Day off from work or school either on a Friday or Monday on 11 November. Non-essential government offices are closed. In fact, no mail is delivered and federal workers are free for the holiday and those working receive holiday pay along with their wages.

But there are some misconceptions when it comes to Veterans Day. Many people confuse it with Memorial Day or Armed Forces Day, but they’re quite distinct. Memorial day memorializes those who have died in service to the army and Armed Forces Day honors those who are currently in the army whereas Veterans Day celebrates the living veterans.

It’s spelled without an apostrophe as in –“Veterans Day” and not as “Veteran’s Day” or “Veterans’ Day”. Since the holiday doesn’t belong to them there is no apostrophe needed. This is another common misconception.

It’s also originally known as Armistice Day when it commemorated the end of World War II, so it coincides with Remembrance Day as well. Other countries celebrate it too, but the name of the day and the types of commemorations differ. Canada and Australia both call Nov. 11 “Remembrance Day”, but still observe it similarly to the US whereas Australia celebrates similar to the US’s memorial day. Great Britain calls it “Remembrance Day,” too

and recognize it with parades, services, and two minutes of silence in London 

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates there are nearly 20 million veterans living today in the United States. More than 15 million of them have served during an era of war, including World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War. It is an extremely important day and everybody everywhere needs to mark this holiday to thank living veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions. There is so much that each one can do!! Every veteran needs to feel deeply appreciated.

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