Happy Veterans Day, Thank You for Your Service

Remember, it’s called Veterans Day, it’s not Veteran’s Day with an apostrophe because it’s not a day that “belongs” to any individual veteran. Nor is it Veterans’ Day, with an apostrophe after the letter “s” because it’s not a day that “belongs” to any group of veterans. Since it is a day for honoring all veterans– no apostrophe is required.

It is our humble opinion that most living veterans would appreciate it, if this holiday would not be confused with Memorial Day; which is the day we honor and remember our fallen veterans.

The Federal Holiday Honoring Living Veterans

Veterans Day is held on November 11 every year because it was originally called “Armistice Day” to commemorate the end of WWI, which ended on November 11, 1918. Unfortunately, WWI which was dubbed “the war to end all wars”, proved not to live up to its moniker; since WWII, and the Korean War quickly followed. Congress amended the name from “armistice” to “veterans”, on June 1, 1954 to honor veterans of all wars.

Great Britain, Canada and Australia also observe November 11 as a national holiday, known as Remembrance Day.

The Defense Department has not drafted uniformed employees (armed forces) since the end of the Vietnam War and instead has an all-volunteer force. Since 2001, over 4 million men and women have volunteered to serve.

A tour of duty or deployment consists of unpredictable hours, foreign travels to dangerous locales and personal sacrifice. And when the deployment ends, 200,000 veterans come home looking for their next career or job opportunity.

Sarah Roberts, is an army veteran and head of Linkedin’s veterans affairs program and recently published the 2019 Veteran Opportunity Report. Veterans employment numbers have improved this year, and more than half of the veterans surveyed want to pursue a different career then what they did in the military.

It is an accepted belief that today’s military personnel are trained in high tech, taught leadership skills, and function under high pressure situations. That is an ideal set of skills in today’s world. The challenge is that although the knowledge and skills of today’s modern vets are exactly what startups and tech companies want, the transitioning from military culture to the more relaxed tech industry culture can be elusive.

DoD SkillBridge is a program that assists military service men and women with internship opportunities in the civilian workforce. When an individual is within 180 days of leaving the military they can participate in training and development with industry professionals and employers who are seeking the knowledge and skills they acquired during military service.

Veterans Day 2019 offers numerous discounts to military veterans. Free coffee, free doughnuts, discounts for haircuts and car washes and even some museums offer veterans free admission. (Call the locations before going.)

Grant listing service GrantWatch has always been a supporter of veterans and is proud to offer all veteran serving organizations a 5 percent subscription rebate on Veterans Day.

Contact support@grantwatch.com for the rebate.

Food

• Applebee’s is offering a free meal to all veterans and active-duty military on Nov. 11.
• Chili’s is offering a free meal from a selected menu for all veterans and active-duty military on Nov. 11. Menu options can be found here.
• Chipotle is having a buy-one-get-one entrée deal for veterans and active-duty military on Nov. 11. In-restaurant purchases only.
• Denny’s is offering a free build your own Grand Slam breakfast on Nov. 11 between 5 a.m. and noon for active and non-active military personnel, as well as veterans. Dine-in only.
• Dunkin’ Donuts is giving a free doughnut to veterans and active-duty military on Nov. 11, no other purchases necessary.
• Olive Garden will give a free meal, including unlimited soup and breadsticks, to all active-duty military and veterans on Nov. 11.
• Starbucks is giving a free tall coffee for all veterans and active-duty military.

Activities

• The Hogle Zoo will be giving free admission to active-duty military, veterans and their immediate families on Nov. 11.
• The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is giving free admission for active-duty military and veterans, as well as their immediate family members on Nov. 11.
• The Leonardo is giving free admission to all veterans and active duty all day from Nov. 9-11.

Shopping

• Amazon will be giving veterans and military $40 off a year of Amazon Prime, at $79 a year. The deal is available Nov. 6-11.
• Dell is giving an additional 15% discount off their PCs and electronics for veterans and active-duty military. The offer ends Nov. 12 at 7 a.m. EST.