Veteran's Day & Remembrance Day

Good Morning,

Veterans Day gives Americans the opportunity to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans. An official wreath-laying ceremony is held each Veterans Day at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery, while parades and other celebrations are held in states around the country. Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans--living or dead--but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime. Today, Americans take time and recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans. We will never forget the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice and all those who have not yet returned home.

A recognized symbol of Veteran's Day is the red poppy. In World War I, Soldiers who were returning home, reported seeing battlefields covered with red poppies blooming. In their hearts, the red poppies symbolized the bloodshed and sacrifice made by the fallen soldiers. After the war, groups began making red paper poppies as a way to raise money for the wounded veteran's and selling them on Armistice Day (Veteran's Day). The red poppy remains a symbol of solidarity for Veteran's.

Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. ("At the 11th hour" refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 a.m.) World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919. The day was specifically dedicated by King George V on November 7, 1919 as a day of remembrance for members of the armed forces who were killed during World War I.

The red remembrance poppy has become a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem "In Flanders Fields". These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their brilliant red color an appropriate symbol for the blood spilled in the war.