Wear Your Medals on Veterans Day

The Department of Veterans Affairs invites every veteran to wear their medals as a way of showing their individual pride and honoring those that have given their all for our nation as well as honoring those that have served and those that currently serve our nation. Service medals can be worn by veterans to any public event or activity that occurs as a way of expressing that pride.

"You don't have to put them on only if you're in a parade," said former VA Secretary Jim Nicholson. "Let America know that you took the oath and served." American veterans should be proud of their service and sacrifice and while most go about the routine of daily life without any fanfare, this day is set aside to thank and honor those that have answered our nation's call during war or peace.

The Veterans Administration explained that the idea is based on celebrations in countries such as Australia, where veterans and their family members routinely display their medals on national holidays. Having lived in Australia for several years, I can attest to the fact that Australian veterans wear their medals on public holidays as a way of saying not only that they served, but that they are proud of the accomplishments of their nation.

I am a proud American veteran and will dust off my medals to pay tribute to the fallen as well as declare my personal pride in my service to our nation. If you are a veteran, please join the thousands on Veterans Day who will be wearing their hard earned and well deserved service medals.

There will be thousands of commemorations on Veterans Day throughout our nation. Veterans Day has a lengthy history and initially celebrated the armistice ending World War I, which went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. Armistice Day, as November 11 became known, officially became a holiday in the United States in 1926, and a national holiday 12 years later. On June 1, 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans. There has been a service conducted at Arlington National Cemetery every Veterans Day since 1954.