Today is Veterans Day! 

Veterans Day is to honor ALL veterans . . . both living and dead . . . the ones who served in wartime AND peacetime. 

Those who have died or have been wounded since World War I is around 1.8 MILLION. I am truly grateful to our brave men and women of the military who have served, still serve, been wounded, or have made the ultimate sacrifice.   If it weren't for them, we would not be able to honor them today!  Cory Schalburg, I am proud of you and love you!  Keep safe!

-Pam

Here are six interesting facts about Veterans Day you might not know.

#1.)  There Are Over 22 Million War Veterans Living in the U.S.  That's according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

It includes 1.7 million veterans from World War Two, 2.2 million from Korea, 7.3 million from Vietnam, 5 million from Afghanistan and Iraq, and 500,000 from the Persian Gulf War.

#2.)  Veteran's Day Was Originally Called "Armistice Day."  November 11th, 1919 was the first anniversary of the end of World War One.

And Armistice Day was originally supposed to honor veterans of THAT war.  But now it extends to ALL veterans.  Congress made it a national holiday in 1938, then renamed it Veterans Day in 1954.

#3.)  "God Bless America" Debuted on the Radio for Veteran's Day in 1938.  Irving Berlin wrote it in 1918, but it was another 20 years before he changed the lyrics and turned it into the version WE all know.

It actually debuted as part of an Armistice Day radio special on November 10th, the day BEFORE Veteran's Day.

#4.)  The Official Symbol of Veterans Day is the Poppy.  In 1918, a woman in Georgia named Moina Belle Michael read a John McCrae poem called "In Flanders Fields", and it inspired her to wear red poppies as a way of remembering.

The poem includes the line, "In Flanders fields the poppies blow / Between the crosses row on row."  (Flanders Fields is a World War One battleground and cemetery in Belgium.)

#5.)  The Motto of the Department of Veterans Affairs Is a Quote from Abraham Lincoln.  The motto is, "To care for him who shall have borne the battle."  It's from the final paragraph of Lincoln's second inaugural address. 

#6.)  71% of Veterans Voted in the 2008 Presidential Election.  That's according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  63% of NON-veterans voted

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In recognition of Veterans Day, The National WWII Museum is asking citizens to visit this special website to thank the brave men and women in uniform who protect our freedom.

The site is part of a new social media campaign entitled “Thank You For My Freedom,” to send expressions of gratitude to veterans of all ages and conflicts. The campaign aims to send one million Americans to the site where they can watch a heartwarming video and offer their thanks and best wishes to veterans by posting a personal photo, video or written message.

For more information, visit www.nationalww2museum.org.