Difference Between Memorial Day and Veterans Day

The key difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day is that Memorial Day is dedicated to remembering all military personnel who sacrificed their lives in the name of the nation while Veterans Day is dedicated to honor all those military personnel who are alive and living a retired life.

Both Memorial Day and Veterans Day are celebrated in America, and they associated with armed forces personnel; this factor makes many confused between these two days. There are differences between these two days that this article clearly outlines.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Memorial Day
3. What is Veterans Day
4. Similarities Between Memorial Day and Veterans Day
5. Side by Side Comparison – Memorial Day vs Veterans Day in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Memorial Day?

As the name implies, Memorial Day is a day to remembrance of personnel belonging to the military who gave up their lives for the cause of the nation in the battleground or in hospitals because of wounds resulting from action on battlefront.

Figure 01: Memorial Day

At the end of the civil war, US chose 30th May in 1868 as a day to honor all those who died serving in armed forces of the country. However, today Americans celebrate this day on Monday, the 28 May of every year. They chose this day because most of the flowering plants in the country bloom around this time of the year. It was at the end of WWI the day came to represent and honor all died, in all American wars, and not just civil war.

What is Veterans Day?

The name of the day is enough to convey the message that it is to honor all those military personnel who are alive and living a retired life. The day is a day to honor the services and sacrifices war veterans made.

It was when WW I ended on 11 November that the date was set aside to be celebrated as Armistice Day. It was the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 that the Great War ended. By an act of Congress, established Armistice Day in the country, and it was only 12 years later that it became a national holiday.

Figure 02: Veteran Day Celebration Poster

It was President Eisenhower who declared November 11 as Veterans Day. It was in 1968 that Congress passed a resolution to shift Veterans Day to 4th Monday of October. However, it had to reverse its resolution, as they realized the earlier date of November 11 was much more significant to many Americans.

What are the Similarities Between Memorial Day and Veterans Day?

• Both Memorial Day and Veterans Day are celebrated basically in America.
• Memorial Day and Veterans Day relate armed forces personnel.

What is the Difference Between Memorial Day and Veterans Day?

Summary – Memorial Day vs Veterans Day

Both Memorial Day and Veterans Day relate to commemorating the valuable service provided by the military personnel for the name of United States. Memorial Day is dedicated to remembering all military personnel who sacrificed their lives in the name of the nation while Veterans Day is dedicated to honor all those military personnel who are alive and living a retired life. This is the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Image Courtesy:

1.’Memorial Day Celebration 2014 (14104814309)’By Isles Yacht Club (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia  
2.’Veterans day 2008 poster’By United States Department of Veterans Affairs (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbXFn5yrnZ6YsqOx07CcnqZemLyue8OinZ%2Bdopq7pLGMm5ytr5Wau265xKamq6GRoXqlrdhmmKecXavAbsLErZyrmZ6oeqWt2Gg%3D