Veteran's Day Web Quest

DEFENITION - Veteran: a person who has served in a military force, especially one who has fought in a war

“TO HONOR VETERANS OF ALL WARS”

Raymond Weeks of Birmingham, Alabama, organized a Veterans Day parade for that city on November 11, 1947, to honor all of America's Veterans for their loyal service. Later, U.S. Representative Edward H. Rees of Kansas proposed legislation changing the name of Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor all who have served in America’s Armed Forces.


In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming November 11th as Veterans Day and called upon Americans everywhere to rededicate themselves to the cause of peace. He issued a Presidential Order directing the head of the Veterans Administration, now the Department of Veterans Affairs, to form a Veterans Day National Committee to organize and oversee the national observance of Veterans Day. In addition to fulfilling that mission, the committee oversees the annual production and distribution of the annual Veterans Day poster.



June 1, 1954: President Eisenhower signs HR7786, changing Armistice Day
to Veterans Day.


In 1968, Congress moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. However, it became apparent that the November 11th date was historically significant to a great many Americans. As a result, Congress formally returned the observance of Veterans Day to its traditional date in 1978.

The Veterans Day National Ceremony is held each year on November 11th at Arlington National Cemetery. At 11 a.m., a color guard, made up of members from each of the military services, renders honors to America's war dead during a tradition-rich ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

The President or his representative places a wreath at the Tomb and a bugler sounds “Taps.” The balance of the ceremony, including a "Parade of Flags" by numerous Veterans service organizations, takes place inside the Memorial Amphitheater, adjacent to the Tomb.

In addition to planning and coordinating the National Veterans Day Ceremony, the Veterans Day National Committee supports a number of Veterans Day Regional Sites. These sites conduct Veterans Day celebrations that provide excellent examples for other communities to follow. For a listing of these sites, please visit:
www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/regsites.asp.



PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:


1. What is a veteran?

2. Who organized the first veteran’s parade and when was it held?

3. Who was Dwight D. Eisenhower and what did he do in 1954?

4. In 1968 Congress moved Veteran’s Day to what date?

5. What happened in 1978?

6. When and where is the Veterans Day National Ceremony is held each year?

7. What does the President do at the ceremony?