h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This morning, it was good to see the triple row of American flags on the five mile stretch through the next city which is a part of my usual commute. Flags hung from utility poles on both sides with pairs of flags on each section of the median. That means people still remember and observe Veterans Day.

The younger generations don't seem to understand that it isn't just a long weekend. A long time ago, my dad explained it thusly: Memorial Day was for the fallen. That was the day he remembered Baumgartener, the boys he taught French in boot camp, and the others he fought alongside in WWII that didn't come home.

Veterans Day is for every member of the armed forces, peace time, war time, active combat or not as a thank you for serving and defending the country.

I think it was originally called Armistice Day. This explains why it's celebrated on November 11, when the Armistice was signed, ending the First World War. The question is, are all the veterans of that war now dead?

Yes.

'The world's last known combat veteran of World War I, Claude Choules, has died in Australia aged 110.'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13289607