President Calvin Coolidge once said, “The nation which forgets its defenders will be itself
forgotten.”
Veterans Day, observed annually on November 11, is a tribute to military veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Originally celebrated as Armistice Day, the proclamation was first issued on November 11, 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson a year after the end of World War I. In 1945, World War II veteran Raymond Weeks had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans rather than just the ones who died in World War I.
Here are some facts about the veteran population of the United States:
- 18.2 million living veterans served during at least one war as of 2018.
- 9 percent of veterans are women.
- 7 million veterans served during the Vietnam War.
- 3 million veterans have served in support of the War on Terrorism.
- Of the 16 million Americans who served during World War II, about 496,777 were still alive as of 2018.
- Connecticut was home to the highest percentage of World War II veterans as of 2018 at 7.1 percent.
- 2 million veterans served during the Korean War.
- As of 2017, the top three states with the highest percentage of Veterans were Alaska, Maine and Montana, respectively.
The Livingston Public Library is commemorating Veterans Day with a display of library books and DVDs on military history, soldier memoirs, and stories of war valor and heroism.
Below is an image of a special book from the Livingston local history archives: “Wars Remembered: a remembrance of their military service by the members of VFW Post#2856, Livingston, NJ and its Ladies Auxiliary”
This is a publication of the Livingston Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2856, that recounts their “war stories”, and contains first hand accounts of their heroic deeds in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War.
Thank you, Livingston and US veterans, for your service to the nation and the community.
-Archana Chiplunkar, Adult Services Librarian