Veterans Day Is Not Memorial Day
poppy
There seems to be some confusion in the public about Memorial Day and Veterans Day. This should clear things up. They are observed in different months (May vs. November) and one is a federal holiday, which means government offices are closed, while the other is not.
Memorial Day is always the last Monday in the month of May every year. It’s a federal holiday, which means that it is officially a day when government is shut down, just like Thanksgiving Day (and sometimes the day after turkey day!). Originally known as Decoration Day, the name was officially changed to Memorial Day in 1971.
Decoration Day was started as a way to remember the fallen and missing in the aftermath of the Civil War. It started as local and sometimes individual events, but the town of Waterloo, NY, had already begun to hold a communitywide event, starting in 1866.
The full history of Memorial Day, including the reason for making it a 3-day weekend for government employees, is here at https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/memorial-day-history
Established as the last Monday in the month of May, every year, it is a day when everything government is closed for a day off. There is no specified calendar date for Memorial Day. It is always the last Monday in May.
The establishment of Armistice (Veterans) Day as a national holiday, but not a government day off, followed Decoration (Memorial) Day, and is always the date of the signing of the peace treaty ending World War I, which was November 11, 1918.
I wrote an article for Veterans Day, outlining the history of this date. https://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=82786
Originally known as Armistice Day, President Eisenhower’s administration changed it to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor the fallen of World War II, in which he was posted to the European theater, and the Korean War. It now includes all those fallen in warfare as well as living veterans and frequently, active duty people, too, and is always observed on November 11th, the date of the signing of the Armistice ending World War I. The day of the week does not matter. This year, it fell on Sunday and a large memorial event took place at Arlington National Cemetery on Sunday, as well as observations and ceremonies in France at American cemeteries there and elsewhere.
The difference between these two days honoring the military and those fallen in warfare is simple.
They both have a specific month, but one has a permanently fixed week day, and the other is a permanently fixed calendar date. What’s the difference in these two words: day versus date? Friday is not always Friday the 13th, but Christmas Day is always December 25.
Memorial Day has a permanently designated weekday, the last Monday in May, every year. It is a federal holiday, meaning banks will be closed and the government has a three-day weekend, as do a lot of private businesses and some banks.
Veterans Day is observed always on November 11 every year, regardless of the day of the week. It is not a federal holiday, but if it fell near a weekend when I was working, I usually took a long weekend. A lot of people I knew did the same thing.
I don’t know how much more plainly these differences can be explained. However, it should clear up any confusion in people who decided that somehow, Veterans Day this year fell on Monday, November 12, when it did not. The ceremony was held at Arlington National Cemetery on November 11, not on the next day.
Category: Historical, Holidays, Reality Check
Post Office was closed yesterday.
Garbage was not delivered, either.
I hate to argue, but I did have the day off from a government job yesterday. I assumed Veteran’s Day was one of the 11 we get.
2018 Federal Holidays
Holiday Date Day
New Year’s Day January 1 Monday
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day January 15 Monday
George Washington’s Birthday February 19 Monday
Memorial Day May 28 Monday
Independence Day July 4 Wednesday
Labor Day September 3 Monday
Columbus Day October 8 Monday
Veterans Day November 12 **Monday
Thanksgiving Day November 22 Thursday
Christmas Day December 25 Tuesday
Sorry, TEN, not eleven. Fat fingers.
you sure it is not that “Math for Marines” MCI?
I never got Veterans Day off either when I was AD or in a civilian job, unless I took the day off myself. Things must have changed.
I never got that many “federal holidays” when on AD either. We were generally on a higher level of alert because it was a holiday. Ma Bell doesn’t give us Veterans Day 11 Nov, or the Fri/Mon as a holiday. We do get, as vested employees, 4 floating optional holidays that can be scheduled as wanted. We don’t get MLK, Columbus, or
President’s Day either. In some departments the day after Thanksgiving is required to be used as a vacation/optional day because that whole group shuts down. Line construction being one of those. We usually get called out on the holiday because some drunk or fool hits a pole or causes other damages. Those are usually good for time and a half or double time money, of which the tax man gets half of. In my 20 years of line work, I have worked more holidays than I’ve been off. Have got into the habit of going to see the children @ Thanksgiving just to avoid the known call out. Still get called and can be instructed to come back in if it’s an emergency/serious damage. And just as the forest fire fighters hate the “fire season” we hate the hurricane, tornado, ice storm season.
Oddly enough, Confederate Memorial Day iswas Georgia is 26 April. The first Service was held for WBTS dead in April of 1866. For many years, state employees were the only ones that had this date off. Recently, with the PC crowd gone crazy, it’s no longer called Confederate Memorial Day and the state day off has been moved to a Monday. Other Southern States use 26 Apr, 10 May or 3 Jun. A little bit of trivia for Commissionar Wretched.
I hear you brother, spent 30 years with Ma Bell, but now I work for a great company that gives us Veterans Day off as a paid holiday, along with MLK and Presidents Day as well! I know what you mean about working holidays, I worked more than I had off as well!
Both Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day are federal holidays. As you mentioned, Memorial Day is always the last Monday in May, while the Veteran’s Day federal holiday takes place on 11 November, unless the date falls on a weekend, then the federal holiday falls either on a Friday or a Monday, depending on whether 11 November falls on a Saturday or Sunday…
Thanksgiving will be on a Thursday this year. That’s like three in a row now.
Coffee. Nose. OWIE! Thanks for that, beans!
I never saw any extra time off on Nov. 11, ever, or any banks closed.
Always, banks and everything else were closed on Memorial Day, but unless 11/11 fell on a Sunday, everything else stayed open.
Veterans Day has been a federal holiday since 1938 (although it was referred to as Armistice Day until the 50’s). You should correct your article.
The armistice of 11 November 1918 carried an expiration date and had to be renewed several times before the Treaty of Versailles was signed off on 28 June 1919. Germany was the last of the Central Powers to make peace with the allies.
The US Senate never ratified that treaty. In 1921, Congress passed resolutions formally ending hostilities with Germany and on 11 November 1921 the US and Germany entered into a peace treaty in Berlin.
Thank you for the heads up on that, Air Cav.
Ex, he’s been around long enough you can address him by his first name: Air.
Or is it 2?
I personally took time to remember November 11th this year as Remembrance Day. Because this day only came once, and will not come again. 100 years since the end of the First World War.
100 years since the landscape of Europe was dripping wet with blood, and being fertilized by the decaying bodies of millions of young men.
I only wish we could say that it has been 100 years of peace.
So, to all of us who live, and served; we accept the thanks of a grateful nation.
And for those who died 100 years ago; we say, God rest ye well, our brothers-in-arms.
OPM.gov
Monday November 12 2018 is a federal holiday for leave and pay purposes for most Federal employees.
noted with asterisks
November 11, 2018 (the legal public holiday for Veterans Day), falls on a Sunday. For most Federal employees, Monday, November 12, will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See section 3(a) of Executive order 11582, February 11, 1971.)
hope that helps
I work in State government and had off November 12th for Veterans Day.
For a time in the early 70s Veteran’s Day was governed by the so called Monday Holiday law. It didn’t last long before it reverted to the traditional November 11.
The rumor where I grew up was Marines lobbied Congress for it to return to 11 Nov so they could have a Federal Holiday to recover from their hangovers from the 10 November Marines Corps Birthday Bal/Celebration.
As others have said, Veterans day is a holiday for Federal employees. If Veterans day falls on a Monday through Friday federal employees get the 11th off. If it falls on a Saturday they get Friday off, and if it falls on a Sunday they get Monday off.
When I was on active duty, my company commander would always tell me, “Since tomorrow is your birthday, you can take the day off. If you want to. But don’t even think about it.”
That made me laugh, thank you!
if you missed this history lesson here it is again. it is in print so it must be true!
Memorial day is for the dead. Veterans day is for the living and Hungover Marines. it is also on November 11 because after the US Marines single Handedly won the first WW after the Army, france and england kept playing tiddlywinks with artillery and gas, they decided to smack some Huns around and get back home. See Those China Marines, those Teufel Hunden knew how hard it was going to work the next day after a good USMC Birthday ball having done so the night before Armistice so they made sure that no future Marine would ever had too by ending the war at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month…
I grew up near the Canadian border and at least a little of the confusion comes from the fact that Canada celebrates Remembrance Day, which is more Memorial Day than our Veterans’ Day. Poppies were even sold on Nov 11 on my side of the border when I was a kid.
I thought it was first responder day?
Four years active duty and no day off. We didn’t even get free beer in the EM Club.
Well, Deceased Veterans are Veterans too, so they get two holidays in their honor, IMHO.