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The History of Veteran's Day
Honoring Those Who Have Fought to
Protect Our Freedom

In 1916, a British army chaplain ([link removed]) in the war-torn Western Front noticed a simple wooden cross, the epitaph "An Unknown British Soldier" written in pencil. The small marker, erected by a kind soul to honor the nameless soldier, would come to inspire one of America's most poignant memorials: the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Above: The Unknown Soldier arrives home to the United States, November 9, 1921
The chaplain, David Railton ([link removed]) , wrote a letter that successfully prompted Westminster Abbey to erect a public memorial for all the unknown British soldiers that had fallen during WWI. Soon, other countries followed suit.

The United States dedicated its own memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, on November 11, 1921, Armistice Day (later to become Veterans Day in the U.S.). The soldier, chosen randomly among four unidentified soldiers who perished in France during WWI, was laid to rest here to represent all lost American soldiers.

Observed by many nations around the world, Armistice Day was originally commemorated to mark the end of WWI, "the war to end all wars ([link removed]) ," and to honor those brave soldiers who fought and died.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ([link removed]) , located in Arlington National Cemetery, has come to be one of the most-visited gravesites in the United States.

(Pictured: John Weeks, President Calvin Coolidge, and Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier)

Armistice Day Becomes Veterans Day
By 1954, it had become clear that WWI had not, unfortunately, ended all wars. Many more soldiers had been called to fight in WWII and the Korean War. And as we know now, soldiers would later be called to other wars in Vietnam and the Middle East.

Upon much effort by WWII veteran Raymond Weeks ([link removed] the urging of Raymond Weeks, a World War II Navy veteran, and Representative Ed Rees,) , Representative Ed Rees, and veterans service organizations, Congress and President Eisenhower dedicated Armistice Day to all U.S. veterans ([link removed]) along with those who fought in WWI. The holiday was re-titled Veterans Day to better reflect its new purpose.

In 1958 two more unknown Soldiers were honored with internment at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, one who had fallen in World War II ([link removed]) and the other in the Korean War ([link removed]) .

Veterans Day Now
So many Americans fought, were gravely wounded, or tragically died on battlefields around the world to preserve freedom for Americans and others. Today, we thank and honor our veterans with parades around the country and ceremonies that take place at Arlington National Cemetery and the Vietnam War Memorial.

That fight for freedom is not only on the battlefield, but also in the classroom.

Civic education in the United States requires teaching the founding principles of this nation
—and why so many, past and present, have fought for it. Ronald Reagan's words bear repeating, “Veterans know better than anyone else the price of freedom, for they’ve suffered the scars of war. We can offer them no better tribute than to protect what they have won for us.”

Here at the Jack Miller Center, we carry out our duty of protecting America's freedoms by reinvigorating the teaching of American history and founding principles. Our work is to preserve in our citizens' hearts and minds what our nation's veterans have secured on the battlefield.
The JMC's Veterans Day Discovery Page
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If you would like to read about American military heritage, government policies for soldiers, as well as first-hand accounts of military life from veterans themselves, visit our Veterans Day page!

Visit the Veterans Day Discovery Page >> ([link removed])
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History can always teach us something about the present, but only if it remains a priority. Without knowledge of our past, we have no basis to make important decisions about our country's future.

JMC supports those teachers who are championing education in America's history and its founding principles. Our growing network of nearly 1,000 dedicated professors are making a difference on hundreds of campuses across the country. So far, they have taught more than one million students. Will you help us reach more?

Click here to help preserve our founding principles and history ([link removed])
About the Jack Miller Center

The Jack Miller Center is a 501(c)(3) public charity with the mission to reinvigorate education in America's founding principles and history. We work to advance the teaching and study of America's history, its political and economic institutions, and the central principles, ideas and issues arising from the American and Western traditions—all of which continue to animate our national life.

We support professors and educators through programs, resources, fellowships and more to help them teach our nation's students.

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