Veteran's Day

Veterans are all around us – they are our family members, our neighbors, and our friends. They have diverse

experiences in the armed forces, but all of them share a willingness to serve their country through military service.

Some of them pursue long careers in the military, and others serve for a few years. The Library of Congress has

a project devoted to preserving the memories and experiences of veterans through oral history. You can learn

more about this effort at www.loc.gov/folklife/vets. For this activity, you can conduct your own oral history with a

veteran or member of the military. To start, find someone you know or who your family knows who has been or is

in the military. Ask this person if they would be willing to talk to you about their experiences in the armed forces.

When you find someone who would be interested in sharing their experience with you, conduct an oral history

in which you ask them some questions about what they did or do in the military. Be sure to compile a list of

questions before you start, and let your interviewee know how long you would like to talk to them. Take notes or,

if possible, record this conversation so that you will be able to record these memories. Share what you have

learned with your larger class or group in a presentation of 3-4 minutes.

 oralhistguidelines.pdf

The United States military is comprised of several different branches, each of which has a distinct set of

responsibilities. Break up into groups of four or five. At the library or using the Internet, research the various

branches of the military. Find out when each of these branches was founded and what tasks they are dedicated

to providing. On a posterboard, describe these groups and their duties. You may want to decorate your poster

with the symbols and mottos of the various armed forces, and with images of their seals. (To the teacher: these

posters would be a nice billboard display for your classroom or school hallways as a way to celebrate Veterans

Day. This activity can also be modified for younger students, you can instruct them to draw the seals or write

down the mottos of the branches of the military.)

There are many organizations throughout the country devoted to providing services to veterans. Do some

research into local organizations in your community which help or honor veterans. Think of some ways you could

get involved as a volunteer for one of these groups and, if possible, contact them about participating in the

programs or services they offer. To share your findings with your class or group, write a one-paragraph

description of one of the organizations you locate and present it to others in a short presentation.

Special Activity

From Armisitice Day to Veterans Day: A Timeline and Quiz

This documentary traces the path of the national veterans holiday throughout the twentieth century. Students will find

it helpful to fill out the following timeline and identification chart as they are watching the program in order to chart

the progression of this holiday and see how it became the holiday we celebrate today.

World War I, also known as the “Great War” was officially concluded on the 11th hour of

the 11th day of November in the year ________. On November 11th of the following year

President ______________ declared an Armistice Day in honor of the peace. “Armistice” is

defined as _________________. The day was marked with public celebrations and a two

minute halt to business at 11 AM. In 1921 the Tomb of the ________ Soldier was dedicated

in Arlington Cemetery with a ceremony on November 11th. After this dedication, Armistice

Day was adopted in many states and at the federal level as a day to honor veterans. This

was made official in the year ________ when Congress made Armistice Day a national

holiday. In 1954, President __________ changed the name of Armistice Day to Veterans

Day. In the year ________ Congress enacted legislation making Veterans Day the fourth

Monday in October as of 1971. For several years, Veterans Day was observed in October

by many states but in 1978 it was returned to November 11th. Today, Veterans Day is still

observed on November 11th as a national holiday to honor all veterans of the United States

Armed Forces.

Web Resources:

The official web page of the Department of Defense, for information about the armed services and veterans:

www.defenselink.mil

The Library of Congress web page dedicated to Veterans Day:

www.loc.gov/folklife/vets

An excellent website with activities for younger students:

www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/veterans

The Truman Library’s site with background information on Truman’s executive order:

www.trumanlibrary.org/9981.htm

The Department of Veterans Affairs home page, with helpful links and volunteer suggestions:

www.va.gov

A site with additional activity ideas and background information:

www.umkc.edu/imc/vetsday.htm