In the United States, Veterans Day is our day to thank all the men and women who served in the United States military. In particular, we recognize military personnel who served during war time and especially our living veterans. We celebrate with parades and church services honoring our veterans. Many locations observe two minutes of silence at 11am and fly the American flag at half mast.

We celebrate on November 11 because on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 an armistice between Germany and the Allied nations came into effect which ultimately ended World War I.

Veterans Day is a federal holiday. Many communities throughout the United States hold celebrations on the weekend closest to the date when the 11th falls on a week day. If November 11 falls on a weekend, federal offices will be closed on Friday November 10 or Monday November 12. State and local governments, schools and non-governmental businesses aren’t required to close. Some school districts are closed, while others remain open and choose to commemorate the occasion with special assemblies or other activities. Public transit systems may follow their regular schedule or run on a holiday schedule.

The first Veterans Day, which was called Armistice Day, occurred on November 11, 1919. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the day should be "filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory." For this special day, parades and other public gatherings were planned and there was supposed to be a brief suspension of all business activities at 11am.

The observance of Armistice Day wasn’t officially recognized by the United States Congress until 1926.  On May 13, 1938, Armistice Day was officially established as a legal holiday to be observed on November 11 by Act 52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a. It was originally intended to honor veterans of World War I.

In 1954, the veterans service organization urged Congress to change the word "Armistice" to "Veterans" following American involvement in World War II and the Korean War, to honor all American veterans  wherever and whenever they had served.

In 1968 the passing of the Uniforms Holiday Bill moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday of October. The change took effect in 1971, but many states continued to hold Veterans Day activities on November 11. In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 which returned the observance of Veterans Day to November 11. This law became effective in 1978.

After the parades and other celebrations are over, there are still many ways to honor American veterans.

You can help homeless veterans in your community by volunteering at soup kitchens and supporting local homeless shelters.

There are than 45,000 nonprofits devoted to veterans and their families are registered with the IRS. Before you donate, visit the nonprofit’s website and read its annual report. Look for a Bronze, Silver, or Gold logo on its GuideStar Nonprofit profile and research mission statements, financial statistics, and impact and effectiveness information.

If the organization is legitimate and officially registered with the IRS, there will be a green check mark on the GuideStar Nonprofit Profile.

The following links are to charity watchdog sites and Consumer Reports magazine. They have information about charities. You can find out which companies make the most efficient use of donations:

https://www.charitywatch.org/

 https://www.charitynavigator.org/

 https://www.consumerreports.org/charities/best-charities-for-your-donations/