Today is Veterans Day, a national holiday. Virtually all levels of government have the day off, financial institutions are closed, and there’s no mail delivery but many schools still have classes as usual.
Weather permitting, the Nebraska State Capitol in LIncoln will be illuminated in green for Veterans Day.
Governor Pete Ricketts, in his Veterans Day message, says Nebraskans have always made it a priority to honor veterans with the cornerstone of the State Capitol, laid 100 years ago this year, dedicated to Nebraska’s veterans.
Ricketts says the tradition of recognizing our veterans remains as vibrant as ever as communities across the state build parks, sculptures, and monuments to honor veterans and preserve the stories of their heroic patriotism for future generations.
The governor says “Our veterans deserve our appreciation for their sacrifices and time spent away from loved ones while on duty. They deserve our respect for their willingness to risk their own safety to ensure our nation’s security. And they richly merit our honor for their service to protect our freedoms.”
“Nebraska is blessed to be home to nearly 127,000 veterans. As we celebrate Veterans Day, I encourage Nebraskans to thank the veterans in their families and communities for all they’ve done on our behalf.”
Nebraska U-S Senator Deb Fischer issued a statement of her own encouraging everyone to thank a veteran for their selfless sacrifice to protect our country and defend our freedoms.
Veteran’s Day began as Armistice Day, marking the end of the fighting in World War 1 at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Presidential proclamations were issued starting in 1919, Armistice Day didn’t become a national holiday until 1938.
After World War II, a movement began to broaden the name and meaning of the day, culminating in Congress changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all those who served in the U-S military.