Today is Veterans Day, a day set aside to honor all who have served in our armed forces. We often conflate Memorial Day, a day when we salute those lost in combat, and Veterans Day, along with Armed Forces Day, when we acknowledge those currently serving. Three separate days, each equally important.
World War I came to an end on November 11, 1918, and the day was set aside to honor those who served. The holiday was known as "Armistice Day" until 1954, when the name was changed to Veterans Day, in honor of all who served at any time.
Incidentally, for my fellow grammar enthusiasts, the proper name for the day is Veterans Day, not Veterans' Day. The US Department of Veterans Affairs website says the attributive case (no apostrophe), rather than the possessive case, is correct "because it is not a day that 'belongs' to veterans, it is a day for honoring all veterans."
And honor them we shall!
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