Veterans Day USA | Rituals and Discounts

On Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, many Americans visit cemeteries, decorate graves, and participate in commemorative ceremonies. Especially at Arlington National Cemetery, where over 400,000 service members, veterans, and their families are buried, the national commemoration culminates in a solemn, patriotic spectacle—with speeches, wreath-laying ceremonies, and a moment of silence by the President himself.

At the same time, millions of Americans look forward to a rare long weekend. In a country without a legally guaranteed vacation, it's a popular occasion for barbecues, sporting events, and shopping discounts. Veterans Day on November 11 also combines official tributes with everyday civilian life.

Memorial Day and Veterans Day are integral parts of the US national identity. Officially, they commemorate both the dead and the survivors. In reality, however, the government, military, and media stage a collective ritual on these days: war is ennobled, responsibility for mass murder is repressed, and military obedience is glorified as a civic virtue. The military appears as the moral pillar of the nation, soldiers as heroes.

The fact that the wars of recent decades have mostly been wars of aggression is not mentioned, and reflections on the causes of war, on suffering, or political responsibility are left out. Neither Memorial Day nor Veterans Day commemorate the millions of lives claimed by US wars worldwide. There is no mention of civilian war victims, nor of the social upheaval that many veterans face upon their return.

This form of "commemoration" is embedded in a society in which military presence is part of everyday life. The phrase "Thank you for your service" is part of social etiquette, military personnel are given priority boarding on airplanes, schools have walls of honor for "service members," and supermarkets offer military discounts. Even sporting events, even second- and third-rate ones, are usually thoroughly militarized. At Super Bowls and NASCAR races, fighter jets fly low over the stadium; baseball and football teams regularly hold "Military Appreciation Nights" with the anthem, uniformed soldiers, and tributes on the field.

Such rituals reinforce the notion that military service is better than normal, synonymous with moral greatness—regardless of the political and military context of the foreign mission. The holidays contribute significantly to the heroization of soldiers, fallen soldiers, and wounded. Victims become "heroes," and the injured become "warriors." And who wants to question heroes?

At the same time, the holidays serve as a stage for state narratives that legitimize war as a necessary evil. For example, there is regular talk of "necessary sacrifice" – a Christian religious blessing of murder and violence in the name of freedom or security. Especially on Veterans Day, one often hears that veterans have "paid the price for our freedom" – a phrase that obfuscates and demands emotional loyalty. In the same breath, the reward for a lifetime of military service is presented in a consumer format: with a discount at an amusement park or a free coffee at Starbucks, followed by a shouted "Thank you for your service."

Veterans Day on November 11th dates back to the armistice of 1918 – originally known as "Armistice Day," a day of remembrance for peace after the First World War. Only with the onset of the Cold War was it renamed "Veterans Day" in 1954 and reinterpreted as a military day of honor. Memorial Day also initially had conciliatory aspects: Introduced after the Civil War as "Decoration Day," graves of both sides were initially decorated. Only later did it develop into a national day of remembrance for all US soldiers killed in the line of duty.

A turning point in the history of military commemoration was the abolition of conscription in 1973. Since then, recruitment has been based on formal voluntary participation. In reality, an "economic draft" emerged: the military draws a large proportion of its recruits from socially disadvantaged backgrounds—often young people without access to education, employment, or healthcare. Black, Indigenous, and Latino people are particularly affected.

This also influences the perception of the holidays. For wealthy sections of society, who have little contact with the military, commemoration represents a mere abstraction. And while politicians invoke the ideal of voluntary heroism, many veterans feel—indeed, they know—that they were nothing but cannon fodder.