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Veterans Day Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Which is the correct spelling of Veterans Day?

a. "Veterans Day"
b. "Veteran's Day"
c. "Veterans' Day"

A. Veterans Day (choice a, above).
Veterans Day does not include an apostrophe but does include an "s" at the end of "veterans" because it is not a day that "belongs" to veterans, it is a day for honoring all veterans.

Q. On what day of the week will Veterans Day be observed?

A. Veterans Day is always observed officially on November 11, regardless of the day of the week on which it falls. The Veterans Day National Ceremony, like most ceremonies around the nation, is held on Veterans Day itself. However, when Veterans Day falls on a weekday, many communities choose to hold Veterans Day parades or other celebrations on the weekend before or after November 11 so that more people can participate.

Q. Who decides if a government office or business closes or stays open on Veterans Day?

A. Federal government closings are established by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Generally, when a holiday falls on a non-workday -- Saturday or Sunday -- the federal government is closed on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday). A complete schedule of Federal Government closings can be found on the Internet at .

State and local governments, including schools, are not required to follow OPM closure policies and may determined for themselves whether to close or remain open. Likewise, non-government businesses are free to make their own decisions to close or remain open for business, regardless of federal, state or local government closings.

Q. Why do some schools close and others remain in session on Veterans Day?

A. Because there is no legal requirement that schools close on Veterans Day, individual states or school districts are free to establish their own policies on school closings. Most schools that do not close for Veterans Day schedule assemblies or other activities to honor America's veterans on Veterans Day and throughout the week that includes Veterans Day.

Q. What is the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day?

A. Many people confuse Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Memorial Day is a day for remembering and honoring military personnel who died in the service of their country, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle. While those who died are also remembered on Veterans Day, Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor ALL those who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served - not only those who died - have sacrificed and done their duty. A complete history of Veterans Day, and why it is observed on November 11, can be found on the Veterans Day History Web page.

Q. Why are red poppies worn on Veterans Day, and where can I obtain them?

A. The wearing of poppies in honor of America's war dead is traditionally done on Memorial Day, not Veterans Day. The practice of wearing of poppies takes its origin from the poem "In Flanders Fields," written in 1915 by John McCrae. Click here to read "In Flanders Fields." For information on how to obtain poppies for use on Memorial Day, contact a veterans service organization, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) or The American Legion, as a number of veterans organizations distribute poppies annually on Memorial Day. You can find veterans groups in the Veterans Service Organization link on VA's Veterans Day web page. Veterans groups in your area can be found in your local phone book. Look in the yellow pages under "Veterans and Military Organizations" or a similar heading.

Q. How can I get a Veterans Day poster?

A. Each September, the Department of Veterans Affairs distributes posters to schools, state governments, Veterans Day Regional Sites, the military services and veterans service organizations. We fulfill individual poster requests until our remaining inventory is exhausted. However, you can download or print your own poster in the size and resolution you want directly from the Veterans Day Poster Gallery. Click on the poster image, then choose from the selections offered.

Q. Can I get a Veterans Day Teacher's Guide?

A. We encourage teachers and others interested in obtaining Teacher's Guides to download the Portable Document File (PDF), available from the Veterans Day Home page. Please feel free to make as many additional copies as you need.

Q. Is Veterans Day celebrated in other countries?

A. Yes, a number of countries honor their veterans each year on November 11, although the name and types of commemorations differ somewhat from Veterans Day celebrations in the United States. For example, Canada and Australia observe "Remembrance Day" on November 11, and Great Britain observes "Remembrance Day" on the Sunday nearest to November 11. There are similarities and differences between these countries' Remembrance Day and America's Veterans Day. Canada's observance is actually quite similar to the U.S. celebration, in that the day is intended to honor all who served in Canada's Armed Forces. However, unlike in the U.S., many Canadians wear red poppy flowers on November 11 in honor of their war dead. In Australia, Remembrance Day is very much like America's Memorial Day, a day to honor that nation's war dead.

In Great Britain, the day is commemorated by church services and parades of ex-service members in Whitehall, a wide ceremonial avenue leading from London's Parliament Square to Trafalgar Square. Wreaths of poppies are left at the Cenotaph, a war memorial in Whitehall, which was built after the First World War. At the Cenotaph and elsewhere in the country, a two-minute silence is observed at 11 a.m., to honor those who lost their lives in wars.

Click here to go to the Veterans Day home page.

Fact Sheet: America's Wars

November 2006

American Revolution (1775-1783)
Total Servicemembers ..................................217,000

Battle Deaths ..................................................4,435

Non-mortal Woundings......................................6,188

War of 1812 (1812-1815)
Total Servicemembers...................................286,730
Battle Deaths..................................................2,260
Non-mortal Woundings.....................................4,505

Indian Wars (approx. 1817-1898)
Total Servicemembers...................................106,000
Battle Deaths...................................................1,000

Mexican War (1846-1848)
Total Servicemembers.....................................78,718
Battle Deaths...................................................1,733
Other Deaths in Service...................................11,550
Non-mortal Woundings......................................4,152

Civil War (1861-1865)
Total Servicemembers (Union).....................2,213,363
Battle Deaths (Union)....................................140,414
Other Deaths in Service (Union)......................224,097
Non-mortal Woundings (Union).......................281,881
Total Servicemembers (Conf.)......................1,500,000
Battle Deaths (Confederate).............................74,524
Other Deaths in Service (Confed.)....................59,297 *
Non-mortal Woundings (Confed.) .................Unknown

Spanish-American War (1898-1902)
Total Servicemembers (Worldwide).................306,760
Battle Deaths......................................................385
Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater)................2,061
Non-mortal Woundings......................................1,662

World War I (1917-1918)
Total Servicemembers (Worldwide)...............4,734,991
Battle Deaths.................................................53,402
Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater)..............63,114
Non-mortal Woundings..................................204,002
Living Veterans......................................Less than 25

World War II (1941-1945)
Total Servicemembers (Worldwide).............16,112,566
Battle Deaths................................................291,557
Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater).............113,842
Non-mortal Woundings..................................671,846
Living Veterans..........................................3,242,000

Korean War (1950-1953) Total Servicemembers (Worldwide)..............5,720,000 Battle Deaths.................................................33,741 Other Deaths (In Theater)..................................2,833 Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater)..............17,672 Non-mortal Woundings..................................103,284 Living Veterans..........................................3,086,400
Vietnam War (1964-1975) Total Servicemembers (Worldwide)..............8,744,000 Deployed to Southeast Asia........................3,403,000 Battle Deaths.................................................47,424 Other Deaths (In Theater)................................10,785 Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater)..............32,000 Non-mortal Woundings..................................153,303 Living Veterans..........................................7,286,500
Desert Shield/Desert Storm (1990-1991) Total Servicemembers (Worldwide)..............2,322,000 Deployed to Gulf...........................................694,550 Battle Deaths......................................................147 Other Deaths (In Theater).....................................235 Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater)................1,590 Non-mortal Woundings.........................................467 Living Veterans...........................................2,260,000
America's Wars Total U.S. Military Service During War................43,185,893 Battle Deaths................................................653,708 Other Deaths (In Theater).................................14,560 Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater).............525,930 Non-mortal Woundings................................1,447,281 Living War Veterans..................................17,835,000 Living Veterans (War & Peacetime)............23,976,000
* Does not include 26,000 to 31,000 who died in Union prisons. Source: Department of Defense (DoD), except living veterans, which are VA estimates. Estimates are as of September 30, 2005.

Global War on Terror (as of Sept. 30, 2006)**
Total Servicemembers (Worldwide)...............1,390,765
Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan....................185,329
Battle Deaths...................................................1,674
Other Deaths (In Theater).....................................563
Non-mortal Woundings....................................15,991
Living Veterans.............................................433,398***

** For the most current GWOT statistics, visit: http://siadapp.dior.whs.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/castop.htm
*** VA estimate does not include those still on active duty and may include veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

American Revolution	Last Veteran, Daniel F. Bakeman, died 4/5/1869, age 109 Last Widow, Catherine S. Damon, died 11/11/06, age 92 Last Dependent, Phoebe M. Palmeter, died 4/25/11, age 90
War of 1812	Last Veteran, Hiram Cronk, died 5/13/05, age 105 Last Widow, Carolina King, died 6/28/36, age unknown Last Dependent, Esther A.H. Morgan, died 3/12/46, age 89
Indian Wars	Last Veteran, Fredrak Fraske, died 6/18/73, age 101
Mexican War	Last Veteran, Owen Thomas Edgar, died 9/3/29, age 98 Last Widow, Lena James Theobald, died 6/20/63, age 89 Last Dependent, Jesse G. Bivens, died 11/1/62, age 94
Civil War	Last Union Veteran, Albert Woolson, died 8/2/56, age 109 Last Confederate Veteran, John Salling, died 3/16/58, age 112 Last Union Widow, Gertrude Janeway, died 1/17/2003, age 93
Spanish-American War	Last veteran, Nathan E. Cook, died 9/10/92, age 106

It is estimated that the number of living World War II U.S. veterans will be:

9/30/06.....3,242,000	9/30/07.....2,889,000	9/30/08.....2,551,000	9/30/09.....2,230,000
9/30/10.....1,929,000	9/30/11.....1,649,000	9/30/12.....1,393,000	9/30/13.....1,161,000
9/30/14........954,000	9/30/15........773,000	9/30/16........616,000	9/30/17........484,000
9/30/18........373,000	9/30/19........283,000	9/30/20........210,000	9/30/21........158,000

Veterans and Dependents on the
Compensation and Pension Rolls as of
September, 2006

	VETERANS	CHILDREN	PARENTS	SURVIVING SPOUSES
Civil War	-	3	-	-
Indian Wars	-	-	-	-
Spanish-American War	-	113	-	125
Mexican Border	-	18	-	70
World War I	9	3,831	-	7,596
World War II	429,518	15,636	227	232,745
Korean Conflict	226,467	3,423	419	61,423
Vietnam Era	1,103,561	9,819	3,614	151,507
Gulf War (1)	700,560	12,461	776	12,826

Nonservice-connected	329,856	20,362	2	186,074
Service-connected	2,725,824	28,362	6,418	313,091

(1) For compensation and pension purposes, the Persian Gulf War period has not yet been terminated and includes veterans of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.

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