Which statement is correct?
Last Sunday was Veterans Day in the U.S.
Last Monday was Veterans Day in the U.S.
They both are. When Washington calendar-manglers decided, in the early seventies, that nearly all our national holiday observations should always take place on a Monday, Veterans Day was included in that sweeping proclamation, to occur on the fourth Monday of October.
But it wasn't long before veterans' groups pushed to retain the original date, November 11, because of its historic significance as the date of the armistice that ended WW I). That move was duly approved, and Veterans Day was officially restored to November 11.
Or not. This year, we have the confusing situation of two Veterans Days, for no better reason than that November 11 fell on Sunday, so nobody got the day off. Call me old school, but it seems sensible to me that a holiday with a specific date should be observed on that date. If it happens to fall on a Saturday or Sunday, that's too bad. Particularly since veterans specifically requested it be observed always on November 11.
Moreover, in the case of Veterans Day, the things we normally do to observe the day can be accomplished perfectly well on a Sunday (maybe better): parades, observances, and the like. And even moremoreover, we already have another day honoring veterans -- Memorial Day, in May.
The push for all these Monday holidays is/was commercially driven. For retailers, any day off is a day that people should devote to shopping. In all cases, it cheapens the meaning of the holiday by turning it into a fire sale. Let's restore integrity to Veterans Day, and productivity to our economy.
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