Honor the sacrifice…Remember the service. Say thanks if you happen to see a Veteran today.
Google Trends sent out an email for Veterans Day on the top questions people have asked about veterans in the past week. Here are a few highlights . . .
1. “Are active duty military considered veterans?” Technically, no. “Veterans” are former members of the military, not people who are still serving. Anyone who WAS a full-time service member is a vet, unless they were dishonorably discharged.
2. “Why is Veterans Day on the 11th?” It marks the Armistice of November 11th, 1918. That’s the formal agreement that officially ended World War One.
3. “What was Veterans Day originally called?” From 1919 through 1953, it was called Armistice Day. President Eisenhower . . . himself a veteran . . . changed it to Veterans Day in 1954.
4. “How many World War Two veterans are still alive?” According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, roughly 240,000 World War Two vets are still with us. Around 16 million Americans served in World War Two.
5. “What is the Purple Heart awarded for”? It’s given to people who are wounded in combat. Around TWO MILLION Purple Hearts have been awarded since it was established in 1932. George Washington is generally credited with coming up with the idea though. He created a similar award in 1782 called the Badge of Military Merit.
–The President is marking Veterans Day by meeting with members of the military this morning. He’ll then head to the Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
And the mortgage group Veterans United just gave 11 homes to 11 vets who’ve gone above and beyond to give even MORE back to their communities. They decided on 11 homes because of the date . . . today is 11/11/2021.
Lots of restaurants are offering discounts or free stuff for veterans today. Here are some of the best deals
1. Outback Steakhouse is giving out free Bloomin’ Onions to veterans. That’s like a week’s worth of delicious calories. You can also get a free Coke.
2. Starbucks is running its annual Veterans Day special where veterans, active-duty military, and military spouses get a free small . . . a.k.a. “tall” . . . hot coffee.
3. Dunkin’ is giving out a free donut to veterans, no purchase necessary. And Krispy Kreme is offering a free donut AND coffee.
4. Other restaurants offering deals for vets today include Olive Garden, Buffalo Wild Wings, IHOP, Texas Roadhouse, Denny’s, Applebee’s, California Pizza Kitchen, Chili’s, and Hooters. Basically, most chain restaurants have some sort of deal.
If you want to see if any other restaurants and stores are offering deals, the website Knoji.com has a search engine that ONLY searches for military discounts.