Today we celebrate the commitment of our veterans in serving our country and protecting our freedoms. In honor of Veterans Day, here are some interesting facts about those who have served:
– Veterans Day is held November 11 each year, the same day that major combat in WWI ended in 1918. It is a state and federal holiday.
– Other countries celebrate Remembrance Day and Armistice Day.
– 764,203 veterans live in Illinois, a high percentage of the population.
– Many former U.S. Presidents were/are US Veterans: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, JFK, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.
– Some famous veterans include Eileen Collins (first female pilot and first female commander of a space shuttle), Buzz Aldrin (pilot of the first manned lunar landing and second man to walk on the moon), Arnold Palmer (professional golfer), Steve McQueen (actor), Clark Gable (actor) and Elvis Presley.
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