Veterans on Parade

On Veterans Day, Americans recognize and thank those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Initially known as Armistice Day and marking the cessation of major hostilities in World War I, the holiday grew to include all veterans, and was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. Crowds turn out in droves to watch parades of veterans both on Veterans or Armistice Day as well as on other occasions, such as reunions of soldiers. March along with these American veterans through the photos below:

Learn More:

• The first three photos above are from various G.A.R. parades. The G.A.R., or Grand Army of the Republic, was a fraternal organization of Union veterans formed after the U.S. Civil War. For decades after the Civil War the G.A.R. held national encampments where veterans were reunited in different locations around the United States. View photos from the encampments held in Washington, D.C. in 1892, 1902, and 1915 in the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog.
• Look through additional images on the subject of United States veterans in the online catalog.
• View additional photos related to Armistice Day from the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Collection.
• Revisit an earlier Picture This blog post, Last Men of the Revolution, to see a most unusual sight: photographs of veterans of the American Revolution.
• Explore the collections of the Veterans History Project from the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress. The project “collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.” (Source: //www.loc.gov/vets/about.html)
• Learn more about the Veterans History Project (VHP) through Facebook and VHP’s posts on the American Folklife Center’s blog.