Veterans Day 2020
November 11th marks the 101st anniversary of the first commemoration of what was then known as "Armistice Day," marking the end of World War I at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month in 1918.
The federal holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 at the urging of veterans groups to celebrate the service of all U.S. military veterans. Unlike Memorial Day, which is focused on service members who gave their lives in the line of duty, Veterans Day commemorates all those who served the U.S. Armed Forces.
According to Census data, about 6.9% of the U.S. adult population ā or 17.4 million people ā identified as veterans in 2019. This USAFacts chart shows theĀ veteran population was 26.4 million in 2000 and had fallen by about 9 million by 2019:
Check out more veterans data here, then join the conversation:
How do you feel about Veterans Day?
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