Veterans Day was first celebrated as Armistice Day on 11/11/19, the first anniversary of the end of WWI, and in 1938 it became an official holiday. In 1954, President Eisenhower changed the name to Veterans Day to honor all those who serve and have served our nation. Today there are 17.4 million veterans, 1.6 million are women. Thank you all for your sacrifices to continually protect our freedom and democracy.