In honor of the 63rd National Veterans Day, the honorable

In honor of the 63rd National Veterans Day, the honorable Barack H. Obama, 44th President of the United States of America, lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery, Alrington, Va., on the 11th hour of the 11th day of November 2016. The Soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) and the U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" support the Presidential Armed Forces Full Honor Wreath-Laying Ceremony hosted by President Obama, the honorable Robert A. McDonald, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and Maj. Gen. Bradley A. Becker, Commanding General, U.S. Army Military District of Washington. The wreath bearer was Sgt. 1st Class Paul Basso, Sergeant of the Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Old Guard.
Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. Veterans Day honors American service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle, while Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans–living or dead–but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime. (U.S. Army Photos by Sgt. Cody W. Torkelson)