Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, Veterans Day, a day dedicated to the cause of world peace, is celebrated each year on November 11. The 11th of November 1918 marked the cessation of the most destructive war in human annals and was proclaimed Armistice Day.

World War I, also known as “The Great War,” officially ended when the treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles. The conflict in which nearly 120,000 Americans were killed and almost 194,000 wounded was also called the War to End All Wars. According to the Census Bureau, almost 70,000 people served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it was given America to how her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…” those were the words of President Wilson in November 1919, who proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. The nation recognizes the holiday as a moment that honours all veterans, living and dead.

November 11 is a very emotional day for those who fought in the Vietnam War too, as they commemorate the 26th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the symbol of a war that divided the American nation. Thousands of veterans, family members and friends gather each year in front of the memorial stone, a V-shaped monument of granite which has 58,256 names inscribed on it of all the Americans who were killed or missing in the Vietnam War.

As part of the national Veterans Day observance, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake will join White House and military officials at a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.

Other commemorative activities will include sport events, restaurants offering discounts, military members and individual veterans wearing their military medals in public during the day as a gesture of pride in service.

One should not forget the problems that many veterans now face. Studies have established that veterans under the care of the Veterans Affair Department are at risk of suicide due to their problems with PTSD and other mental disorder. There are 1,000 attempts of suicide by veterans under the care of the VA each and every month. They are coping with depression, family, marital and job problems on a high scale.

The Veterans for Common Sense lawsuit emphasized the problem of veterans’ suicides. It was demonstrated that 120 veterans commit suicide every week, 1,000 veterans attempt suicide while in VA care every month, nearly one in five service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and major depression.

Although veterans diagnosed with depression are not more likely to commit suicide than other male civilians, there is a significant difference in the suicide rate for younger war veterans.