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Veterans Day is a well-known American holiday, but there are also a few misconceptions about it - like how it's spelled or whom exactly it celebrates. To clear some of that up, here are the important facts you should know.
Veterans Day does NOT have an apostrophe.
A lot of people think it's "Veteran's Day" or "Veterans' Day," but they're wrong. The holiday is not a day that "belongs" to one veteran or multiple veterans, which is what an apostrophe implies. It's a day for honoring all veterans - so no apostrophe needed.
Veterans Day is NOT the Same as Memorial Day.
A lot of Americans get this confused, and we'll be honest - it can be a little annoying to all of the living veterans out there.

Memorial Day is a time to remember those who gave their lives for our country, particularly in battle or from wounds they suffered in battle. Veterans Day honors all of those who have served the country in war or peace - dead or alive - although it's largely intended to thank living veterans for their sacrifices.

It was originally called Armistice Day, commemorating the end of World War I.
World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. However, the fighting ended about seven months before that when the Allies and Germany put into effect an armistice on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, was largely considered the end of "the war to end all wars" and dubbed Armistice Day. In 1926, Congress officially recognized it as the end of the war, and in 1938, it became an official holiday, primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I.

But then World War II and the Korean War happened, so on June 1, 1954, at the urging of veterans service organizations, Congress amended the commemoration yet again by changing the word "armistice" to "veterans" so the day would honor American veterans of all wars.

For a while, Veterans Day's date was changed, too, and it confused everybody.

Congress signed the Uniform Holiday Bill in 1968 to ensure that a few federal holidays - Veterans Day included - would be celebrated on a Monday. Officials hoped it would spur travel and other family activities over a long weekend, which would stimulate the economy.
For some inexplicable reason, the bill set Veterans Day commemorations for the fourth Monday of every October.
On Oct. 25, 1971, the first Veterans Day under this new bill was held. We're not sure why it took three years to implement, but not surprisingly, there was a lot of confusion about the change, and many states were unhappy, choosing to continue to recognize the day as they previously had - in November.

Within a few years, it became pretty apparent that most U.S. citizens wanted to celebrate Veterans Day on Nov. 11, since it was a matter of historic and patriotic significance. So on Sept. 20, 1975, President Gerald Ford signed another law (Public Law 94-97), which returned the annual observance to its original date starting in 1978.
Other countries celebrate it, too, in their own ways.
World War I was a multinational effort, so it makes sense that our allies also wanted to celebrate their veterans on Nov. 11. The name of the day and the types of commemorations differ, however.

Canada and Australia both call Nov. 11 "Remembrance Day." Canada's observance is pretty similar to our own, except many of its citizens wear red poppy flowers to honor their war dead. In Australia, the day is more akin to our Memorial Day.

Great Britain calls it "Remembrance Day," too, but observes it on the Sunday closest to Nov. 11 with parades, services and two minutes of silence in London to honor those who lost their lives in war.

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Veterans Day is a well-known American holiday, but there are also a few misconceptions about it - like how it's spelled or whom exactly it celebrates. To clear some of that up, here are the important facts you should know. Veterans Day does NOT have an apostrophe.

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Explore your family's history by searching military records.

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Explore your family's history by searching military records.

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Oklahoma Military Casualties (partial)

Search a database of Oklahoma military casualties from World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Search now.

Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame

Visit the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame online exhibit to learn about local heroes honored by the Oklahoma Military Heritage Foundation. View now.

Union Soldiers' Home Collection Index

Visit the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame online exhibit to learn about local heroes honored by the Oklahoma Military Heritage Foundation. View now.

1890 Active Military

View a listing of active military personnel from Smith's First Directory of Oklahoma City.

Applications for Pensions from the State of Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries offers online access to the Applications for Pensions from the State of Oklahoma, submitted by Confederate Soldiers, Sailors, and Their Widows (microfilm).
Oklahoma Confederate Pension index cards | Oklahoma Confederate Pension records

Available in the Research Center

Roster of Confederate Soldiers 1861-1865

Roster of Union Soldiers 1861-1865

Union Soldiers and Sailors buried in Oklahoma

Schedules Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War (Oklahoma/Indian Territory)

Official Records of the War of the Rebellion

Civil War Sites in Oklahoma

Online resource: Civil War Collection, including Civil War Service Records on AncestryLibrary.com (available in Research Center only)

Online resource: Civil War 1860-1880, including Service and Pension Records on Fold3.com (available in Research Center only)

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land-Warrant Applications

This microfilm collection includes over 80,000 pension and bounty land-warrant applications, based on the files of the American military, naval and marine officers, and enlisted men.

Records indicate the veteran's name, the state or organization for which they served, and the file number. An "S" indicates that the individual was a survivor, "W" indicates widows, and "R" represents those who were rejected. Donated by the Daughters of the American Revolution, this collection contains more than 2,000 rolls of microfilm.

Compiled Military Service Records

Donated by the Daughters of the American Revolution Oklahoma Society, this microfilm documents the men who served from the original thirteen colonies. The records include the individual's name, rank and military organization, state from which he served, and date of enlistment or appointment. Some records also include the individual's physical description, date and place of birth, residence at the time of enlistment, date of separation from service, and other personal details.

War of 1812 Pension Applications

The OHS Research Center has information relating to the War of 1812 on microfilm.

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Search a database of Oklahoma military casualties from World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Search now. Visit the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame online exhibit to learn about local heroes honored by the Oklahoma Military Heritage Foundation. View now.

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How to write a letter to a servicemember.

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How to write a letter to a servicemember.

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Write a Letter to a Veteran, Active Duty Servicemember or First Responder

Communicating through letter writing is a great way to send a special message or say thank you to Veterans who have served our country, active-duty servicemen and women deployed all over the world or first responders in our community like EMT, police officers and firefighters.

Who would you like to write a letter to? Let's look at some definitions. Who is a Veteran? A Veteran is a man or woman who has served in the U.S. Armed Forces during a time of war or peace. The six branches of the United States Armed Forces are the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force and Space Force. Who is an active-duty serviceman or woman? An active-duty service member is a man or woman who is currently deployed serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Who is a first responder? A first responder is a person, usually a team of people, who are the first to respond to an emergency situation. Examples of first responders are firefighters who put out fires, EMT, emergency medical technicians, who respond to someone having a medical emergency and police officers, who respond to people who need help from law enforcement.

Each one is a true hero, and that is why we enjoy writing letters to all of them.

Now, let's get started writing your letter. Here are three simple steps to writing your letter.

1. Write an introduction. The introduction should include a greeting, such as Dear Veteran, Dear Servicemember or Dear First Responder.

2. Write a message of thanks and gratitude to express how we are fortunate to have them serving and sacrificing so much to keep us safe. You can write a message like, thank you for being brave, thank you for being a hero, thank you for keeping us safe or we appreciate all that you do for our community.
If you want to be creative, you can add hand-drawn pictures like the American flag, a bald eagle, stars, a rainbow or hearts. Veterans, active-duty service members and first responders really enjoy receiving handwritten notes from members of our community.

3. Last, close your letter by signing your first name only or your initials. By keeping the letter simple and with a positive message, any servicemember will be delighted to receive a heartwarming letter from those who they protect and keep safe.

If you want to scan and email letters or send from the computer, please feel free to send those to active military servicemembers, you can send those to: http://www.buckeyemilitarymoms.org/index.html or bluestarmothers9@gmail.com.

NOTE: The National Veterans Memorial and Museum is working with Experience Columbus encouraging people to send letters to Veterans at the Chillicothe, Ohio, VA Medical Center (Community Living Center) through April 30. Details and the address can be found here: https://www.experiencecolumbus.com/columbusletterstoveterans/.

Thank you for supporting our Veterans, First Responders and all those on the front lines while we all do our part by staying at home!

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Write a Letter to a Veteran, Active Duty Servicemember or First Responder - National Veterans Memorial and Museum

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Write a Letter to a Veteran, Active Duty Servicemember or First Responder Communicating through letter writing is a great way to send a special message or say thank you to Veterans who have served our country, active-duty servicemen and women deployed all over the world or first responders in our community like EMT, police officers and firefighters.

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hey were pioneers who blazed a trail through the war torn skies over Europe. Before the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, no black American had ever been a U-S military pilot...after the Tuskegee Airman, the U-S military would never be the same.

Widespread discrimination prevented African Americans from flying during the First World War. For the next twenty years, the pressure would slowly build to allow black pilots to serve in the sky. Finally in 1941 the Army launched what it called "an experiment" -- the segregated 99th Fighter Squadron. That squadron would train at an airfield near Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, and thus, the Tuskegee Airmen were born. To be clear, not every Airman was a pilot...for every man who flew, there were ten keeping him in the air, men and women, military and civilian, who served on ground duty support , like mechanics, supply personnel, cooks, and more. And not all were black...some were white, or Latino, or Native American.

One notable woman who helped the Tuskegee Airmen take off into history was the First Lady of the United States. Eleanor Roosevelt visited the squadron in 1941, and insisted a black pilot take her up, and that photographs would be taken. Those photographs helped convince President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to send the unit into action, first in North Africa, and later in Europe.

The 99th, along with other squadrons, would later form the 332nd Fighter Group in Europe -- their planes boasting tails painted bright red. In Europe the airmen would fly more than 15-thousand sorties, completing an unequalled 15-hundred combat missions, all while showing great courage, skill, and dedication. Among their decorations: one hundred and fifty Distinguished Flying Crosses. Squadron leader Benjamin O. Davis Jr. would eventually rise to the rank of three star general, receiving a fourth star post retirement.

The Tuskegee Airmen were deactivated in 1946, the experiment a great success. But more than that. The brave fliers had proved themselves in combat, and their performance helped pave the way for desegregation of the military in 1948.

Today the National Park Service's Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Alabama, helps tell their story, and preserves their memory for all time.

Among the many contributions by African Americans to the country are their service and sacrifice in times of war. We pause to remember the Tuskegee Airmen. Breaking barriers and fighting Nazis, the proud pilots of the 99th Fighter Squadron earned the respect of their fellow pilots and wrote their names in the history books. Their success helped pave the way for the desegregation of the military after World War II.

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hey were pioneers who blazed a trail through the war torn skies over Europe. Before the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, no black American had ever been a U-S military pilot...after the Tuskegee Airman, the U-S military would never be the same. Widespread discrimination prevented African Americans from flying during the First World War.