VETERANS DAY
Veterans Day on November 11th honors military veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces. The federal holiday coincides with Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, which marks World War I. These observances reflect the end of significant hostilities at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the Armistice with Germany took effect. Initially, the United States observed Armistice Day as well. However, it evolved into the current Veterans Day in 1954.
Raymond Weeks
In 1945, World War II veteran Raymond Weeks from Birmingham, Alabama, expressed an idea. Weeks proposed to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans who served in the U.S. military. Weeks led a delegation to Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, who supported the idea of National Veterans Day. Then in 1947, Weeks led the first national celebration in Alabama. Annually, the country recognized its veterans until he died in 1985. President Reagan honored him at the White House in 1982. Weeks earned the Presidential Citizenship Medal as the driving force for the national holiday. Elizabeth Dole prepared the briefing for President Reagan, calling Weeks the "Father of Veterans Day."