The federal holiday originally known as Armistice Day was officially renamed Veterans Day on June 1, 1954. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Public Law 380, which was passed by the 83rd Congress, to formally make the change. The legislation amended a 1938 act, striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting the word "Veterans" to create a day honoring American veterans of all wars.
The impetus for this change came after World War II and the Korean War, which saw the largest mobilization of service members in the nation's history. The original Armistice Day, established to commemorate the end of World War I on November 11, 1918, was seen by many as too limited in scope. Veterans service organizations, along with advocates like Raymond Weeks of Alabama, urged for the expansion of the holiday to recognize the contributions of all veterans. Following their lobbying efforts, Representative Ed Rees of Kansas introduced the bill that successfully modified the holiday's name and purpose.
This renaming represented a significant shift in the holiday's meaning, transforming it from a day celebrating the end of a specific conflict into a national observance honoring all individuals who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. It broadened the commemoration to include living veterans alongside those who have passed, and it clearly distinguished its purpose from that of Memorial Day, which is reserved for honoring those who died while in military service.
