OAPSE Salutes America’s Veterans — Every Day

It’s always the right time to remember the brave men and women who have served our country. OAPSE salutes those veteran sisters and brothers who have protected and served all of us  in times of war and peace.

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans—living or dead—but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.

Among the hundreds of veterans who are OAPSE members are (left to right above) Danny Oxley, U.S. Air Force (1984-1988), bus driver and president of Local 105 at Marysville Exempted Village Schools; Roy Klintworth, U.S. Army Desert Storm and Shield (1990-1994) and a bus mechanic/bus coordinator at Fort Frye Local Schools, Local 447; Kelly Mobley, U.S. Air Force (1982-2005), Security Forces Training Instructor and an OAPSE field representative;  and Charles Meade, a school bus driver and sub-mechanic at Olentangy Local Schools, a member of Local 322, and an Army Sgt. 82nd Airborne 1972-75, with his son, Army Sgt. Samuel C. Meade (active duty).

When Is Veterans Day?

• Veterans Day occurs on November 11 every year in the United States.
• In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
• In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, which moved the celebration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. The law went into effect in 1971, but in 1975 President Gerald Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11, due to the important historical significance of the date.
• Great Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World War I and World War II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November).

In Europe, Great Britain and the Commonwealth countries it is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.

Veterans Today

The military men and women who serve and protect the U.S. come from all walks of life; they are parents, children, grandparents, friends, neighbors and coworkers, and are an important part of their communities. Here are some facts about the veteran population of the United States:

• 16.1 million living veterans served during at least one war.
• 5.2 million veterans served in peacetime.
• 2 million veterans are women.
• 7 million veterans served during the Vietnam War.
• 5.5 million veterans served during the Persian Gulf War.
• Of the 16 million Americans who served during World War II, about 558,000 are still alive.
• 2 million veterans served during the Korean War.
• 6 million veterans served in peacetime.
• As of 2014, 2.9 million veterans received compensation for service-connected disabilities.
• As of 2014, 3 states have more than 1 million veterans among their population: California (1.8 million), Florida (1.6 million) and Texas (1.7 million).
• The VA health care system had 54 hospitals in 1930, since then it has expanded to include 171 medical centers; more than 350 outpatient, community, and outreach clinics; 126 nursing home care units; and 35 live-in care facilities for injured or disabled vets.

Source: The History Channel