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Story highlights
- Veterans Day honors the men and women who have served in the Armed Forces
- 18.5 million veterans live in the United States
- There are numerous ways to celebrate Veterans Day 2017
Parts of this updated story were first published in 2016.
(CNN)Veterans Day is celebrated annually on November 11 to honor those who have served in the Armed Forces as well as those who have fallen defending the country.
History of women in the U.S. military 01:26
Since this federal holiday falls on a Saturday this year, many workers and students have the day off on Friday November 10. Whether or not this is the case for you, it's worth taking a moment to learn about the holiday and the veterans who live among us.
Remember your history
Although World War I officially ended on June 28, 1919 when the Treaty of Versailles was signed, fighting between the Allied forces and Germany had already ceased months prior. On the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice went into effect.
Armistice Day was celebrated every year thereafter in the United States until 1954, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower changed it to Veterans Day to encompass the honoring of veterans of all American wars.
In 1930, the Veterans Administration (VA) was established to "consolidate and coordinate Government activities affecting war veterans." It was renamed in 1989 as the Department of Veterans Affairs, continuing to be known as the VA.
Some key figures
Photos: US military photos from September
Photos: US military photos from September
A pararescueman from the US Air Force's 48th Rescue Squadron scans the ground Tuesday, September 12, after Hurricane Irma hit the Florida Keys. The storm caused historic destruction across the state.
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Photos: US military photos from September
Sailors prepare an F-35C Lightning II on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln on Thursday, September 7. The fighter jet is still in the testing phase.
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Photos: US military photos from September
The New York Air National Guard helps American citizens evacuate the Caribbean island of St. Martin on Friday, September 8. St. Martin was among several islands that were devastated by Hurricane Irma.
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Photos: US military photos from September
An Air Force pilot and crew chief conduct a pre-flight inspection at a base in Krzesiny, Poland, on Monday, September 11.
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Photos: US military photos from September
The US Coast Guard transports people off the Caribbean island of St. Thomas during Hurricane Irma relief efforts on Tuesday, September 12.
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Photos: US military photos from September
Members of the National Disaster Medical Assistance Team help people evacuate St. Thomas, one of the US Virgin Islands, on Saturday, September 9. The Department of Defense has been supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help those affected by Hurricane Irma.
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Photos: US military photos from September
An MH-60S Seahawk takes off from the USS Wasp, which was in the Caribbean Sea on Thursday, September 7. In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, helicopters were conducting medical evacuations in the US Virgin Islands.
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Photos: US military photos from September
President Donald Trump, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, participates in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Pentagon, 16 years after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
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Photos: US military photos from September
Fighter jets from the United States and South Korea fly together during a training exercise in Gangwon-do, South Korea, on Monday, September 18.
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Photos: US military photos from September
US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, third from right, visits North Dakota's Minot Air Force Base on Wednesday, September 13. The base is home to many nuclear missiles and bomber planes.
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Photos: US military photos from September
Marine Sgt. Colin Deeter plays the trombone at a high school in Surabaya, Indonesia, where troops from the United States and other countries were taking part in annual training exercises on Tuesday, September 12. Deeter is part of a Marine band, assigned to the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, that performs throughout the Far East.
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Photos: US military photos from September
The USS Oscar Austin, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, travels in the Arctic Circle on Thursday, September 5.
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Photos: US military photos from September
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Philip C. Sackett escorts a US citizen to an evacuation control center at the Douglas-Charles Airport in Dominica on Sunday, September 24. The control center was set up to help people who were stranded on the island after Hurricane Maria.
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Photos: US military photos from September
Air Force Capts. Bryan Adams, left, and David Wilfong fly a C-17 Globemaster III to Puerto Rico on Saturday, September 9. They were delivering personnel and equipment to help with Hurricane Irma relief efforts.
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Photos: US military photos from September
Members of the Florida Air National Guard help people at a Jacksonville high school that served as a shelter during Hurricane Irma on Saturday, September 9.
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Photos: US military photos from September
US Marines participate in a live-fire training exercise near Djibouti on Thursday, September 7.
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Photos: US military photos from September
On the anniversary of 9/11, a military family based in Qatar honors those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks.
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Photos: US military photos from September
Sailors drape a flag over the casket of Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Casto during a repatriation ceremony in Honolulu on Thursday, September 14. Casto was aboard the USS Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and his remains were recently identified. He was buried alongside his brother, Richard, who was also aboard the Oklahoma.
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Photos: US military photos from September
US Marines drop anchors to support a floating bridge in Blythe, California, on Monday, September 11. During a training exercise, they were tasked with constructing a bridge to span a 120-meter (394-foot) section of the Colorado River.
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Photos: US military photos from September
First responders salute a large American flag as it's unfurled over the west side of the Pentagon on Monday, September 11. See US military photos from August
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There are 18.5 million veterans living in the United States as of 2016, according to the Census Bureau. Of these, 1.6 million veterans are women.
A large proportion of the veteran population, 9.2 million, are aged 65 and older, while 1.6 million are younger than 35.
The American labor force has 7.2 million veterans ages 18 to 65. Of these, 6.8 million are employed. Male and female veterans' annual median incomes are both higher than their nonveteran counterparts.
Lifting the veil
Despite veterans having an annual holiday celebrating their heroism, troubling stories have emerged in recent years that paint a grim picture for many veterans in America.
In 2013, CNN reported that on average more than 22 veterans commit suicide every day.
In 2014, the Veterans Health Administration was the subject of numerous investigations after reports of negligent handling of a backlog of veterans seeking medical care by VA hospitals went public. Dozens of veterans are reported to have died awaiting treatment.
Photos: What vets want you to know
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Related: When fallen heroes don't come home
Things to do
There are many ways to celebrate Veterans Day this weekend. Here are some of the biggest events going on around the country on Saturday November 11:
- America's Parade in New York City: 11:15 a.m.
- The National Veterans Day Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia: 11 a.m.
- Ronald Reagan Presidential Library's Annual Veterans Day Commemoration in Simi Valley, California: 10 a.m.
Photos: Veterans honored around the world
Photos: Veterans honored around the world
Members of the West Point Military Academy band participate in the annual Veterans Day parade in New York on Friday, November 11.
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President Barack Obama participates in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on November 11.
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Keyleighia Harrler, 8, salutes with service members during a Veteran's Day celebration in Dallas on November 11.
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French veterans hold flags Friday, in a street of Lyon, France during the Armistice Day ceremony marking the 98th anniversary of the end of World War I.
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Navy Capt. Donald Nisbett, commanding officer of the Naval ROTC at Oregon State University, watches a Veterans Day parade in Albany, Oregon, on Friday.
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A Park Service volunteer in Washington points to a name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on November 11.
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Young students in London scatter poppies into a fountain at Trafalgar Square after observing a two-minute silence in honor of Armistice Day. In advance of Armistice Day, many people in Britain wear a paper red poppy to symbolize the poppies that grew on French and Belgian battlefields during World War I.
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A veteran kisses his service dog during Remembrance Day ceremonies at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, Ontario, on November 11.
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World War II veterans attend a ceremony at the National World War II Memorial in Washington on November 11.
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Chelsea Pensioners walk past the Lloyd's building following two minutes of silence for Remembrance Day on November 11 in London, England.
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Veteran Doug Taylor salutes during a Veterans Day ceremony at the statehouse in Concord, New Hampshire.
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Gold Star mothers listen to President Obama speak during a Veterans Day ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, on November 11.
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Photos: Veterans honored around the world
Military personnel march in New York's Veterans Day parade on November 11.
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Korean War veterans Ken Silver, left, and Paul Hellie, center, greet four-time Purple Heart recipient Emil Reynold before a Veterans Day parade in Walla Walla, Washington, on November 11.
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Korean War veteran Oscar Garcia marches during a Veterans Day parade in Sacramento, California, on November 11. He is holding a photo of his 18-year-old grandson, Daniel Garcia, who just graduated from Army boot camp.
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A boy sits on his father's shoulders during the Veterans Day parade in New York on November 11.
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Scotland football fans stand in London's Trafalgar Square as they wait to observe two minutes of silence in honor of Armistice Day on November 11.
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Photos: Veterans honored around the world
People gather around 19,420 figurines that were laid out in Bristol, England, as part of Rob Heard's Shrouds of the Somme art installation on November 11. A memorial service was held beside the artwork, which features one figurine for every British soldier who died on the first day of World War I's Battle of the Somme.
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A French soldier salutes as veterans hold flags, on November 11 in Lyon, France.
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Britain's Prince Harry salutes as he attends an Armistice Day service in Stafford, England, on November 11.
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Sixteen-year-old Colin Lewis of Denver plays the bagpipes as he walks amid the headstones of veterans and their family members to mark Veterans Day in Fort Logan National Cemetery on November 11 in Sheridan, Colorado.
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Retired air force veteran E. David Humphreys, 83, and his wife, Patricia, speak with Ana Dunitz and her daughter Daniela, 5, after a Veterans Day ceremony at Veterans Plaza in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
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Planes fly over Central Avenue in Phoenix at the start of the Veterans Day Parade on November 11.
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Poppies are projected onto the sails of the world famous Opera House on November 11 in Sydney, Australia. This year marks the 98th anniversary of the Armistice which ended the First World War.
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World War II Navy veteran Donald E. Hanson, 94, salutes during a Veterans Day ceremony at Tahoma National Cemetery on November 11 in Kent, Washington.
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This weekend would also be a great time to visit the monuments and memorials devoted to veterans in Washington.
You can also refer to your local news outlet for information on holiday events in your area.