Blog Post

Honoring Our Veterans

Sterling Dental Center • Oct 21, 2018
man waving american flag

November is a month full of holidays and thankfulness. At Sterling Dental Center, we are extremely grateful for all of the brave men and women who defend their country.

Veterans Day has been a holiday observed in the United States since 1926 unofficially and 1938 officially. It all started with a letter from President Wilson on November 11, 1919. In this letter, a year after the first Armistice Day, he ends with “To us in America the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service, and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of nations.”

Prior to 1945, Armistice Day was only a celebration of soldiers from World War I. Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran, was the one who had the idea to expand the day and make it a more inclusive celebration. Starting in 1947, Weeks led a celebration every year in Alabama. In 1954, President Eisenhower signed a bill to replace Armistice with Veterans and it has thus been known as Veterans Day.

Things got kind of confusing with the Uniforms Holiday Bill signed in 1968. It created three-day weekends for federal employees for four holidays, including Veterans Day. However, this bill moved Veterans Day from November 11th to the fourth Monday in October. This wasn’t a popular decision and was eventually changed back in 1975. President Ford signed a law that put Veterans Day back on November 11th starting in 1978.

There is some confusion between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. While both are holidays that celebrate service members, Memorial Day honors those who died in service, while Veterans Day honors service members who are still living, as well as those who died in service.

We are so grateful to live in this wonderful country, protected by all those in the military. From all of us here at Sterling Dental Center, we want to thank all the service members for everything they do and wish them a Happy Veterans Day!

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