Celebrating Veteran's Day at CalPac
November 11th is recognized as Veteran’s Day – a time where we honor the brave individuals who serve and protect our country as members of the Military.
Who are Veterans?
You may be wondering what exactly a Veteran is. Often when people think of Veterans, they think of soldiers – and while soldiers are in fact veterans, they are not the only ones!
Veterans are members of the US military – either active duty (meaning they are still serving) or retired service members. There are multiple branches of the military – five to be exact! Let’s break down each one:
The Five Branches of the US Miltary
- US Army
- Largest branch of the military
- Focused on land combat and aviation
- Referred to as Soldiers
- US Navy
- Focuses on battles at sea (includes ships, submarines, and aviation)
- Referred to as Sailors
- US Marine Corps
- Smallest branch of the military
- Fights on land, sea, and air.
- Subset of the Navy
- Referred to as Marines
- US Air Force
- Flies and fights in the air and in space
- Referred to as Airmen
- US Coast Guard
- Maritime Branch of the military
- Responsible for defending America’s borders and coastlines
- Referred to as Coast Guardsmen
Every branch of the military serves its own special purpose, and together they are able to protect and serve the United States. Anyone who has Served in the Military is considered a Veteran – regardless of time served, where they served, or even whether or not they saw battle.
Why do we Celebrate Veteran's Day?
Veteran’s Day was first celebrated after the end of the World War I. As a way to commemorate the “ceasing of hostilities” at 11:11AM on November 11th in 1918 that officially ended “The Great War”. The day was initially called “Armistice Day” in reference to the fighting in World War I coming to a close – and it become a federally recognized holiday in 1938.
After two more wars occurred – World War II and the Korean War – the United States decided to honor all military members who had served as opposed to just recognizing the end of World War I.
So, in 1954 Armistice Day became Veteran’s Day – recognizing all Veterans from every military service. Recognizing Veteran’s Day is a way to honor and express gratitude to those who have spent time in service of the protection of all of us!
What is the Difference Between Veteran's Day and Memorial Day?
While Veteran’s Day honors all who have served in the Military – Memorial Day is a day to honor and remember those who lost their life in service of our country. Veteran’s day is more of a celebration and time to express thanks to all service members. Memorial Day is a day of solemn remembrance of those we have lost.
Happy Veteran's Day CalPac!
CalPac would love to say a very Happy Veteran’s Day to all of the members of the US Military. We are deeply grateful for your service. A special thank you to the members of the extended CalPac family who have served (see below)!
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