Bet You Didn't Know: Veterans Day (2:11)
Do you know why Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11th every year? Get the whole story behind the holiday.
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Videos (37)
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Bet You Didn't Know: Veterans Day
Bet You Didn't Know: Veterans DayVideo Clip (2:11)
Video Clip (2:11)
Do you know why Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11th every year? Get the whole story behind the holiday.
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History of Veterans Day
History of Veterans DayVideo Clip (3:19)
Video Clip (3:19)
Veterans Day has changed days and names but it has always been a day to honor those who serve their country.
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Combat Cameraman
Combat CameramanVideo Clip (5:08)
Video Clip (5:08)
A son learns about the trials of war through the films his father, Frank Lee, shot as a combat cameraman in Vietnam.
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Jimmie Kayana
Jimmie KayanaVideo Clip (2:39)
Video Clip (2:39)
The son of Japanese immigrants, Army Medic Jimmie Kanaya joined the U.S. Army in 1941. Although his family was relocated to an internment camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor and he himself was treated as an enemy for some time, he eventually volunteered for America's first all-Japanese Regiment.
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HISTORY says Thanks
HISTORY says ThanksVideo Clip (2:47)
Video Clip (2:47)
HISTORY employees thank their loved ones for their military service.
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Anne Purcell
Anne PurcellVideo Clip (3:57)
Video Clip (3:57)
As a military wife, Anne Purcell had already sent her husband off to war once before, in Korea. But less than six months after her husband Ben volunteered for Vietnam, he was reported "missing in action."
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A Soldier's Story: Khe Sanh
A Soldier's Story: Khe SanhVideo Clip (3:06)
Video Clip (3:06)
Amid a siege that would last 77 days, medic Raymond Torres was dropped into central Vietnam.
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Jack Werner
Jack WernerVideo Clip (2:41)
Video Clip (2:41)
U.S. Army Sergeant Jack Werner was born in Austria in 1920 to a middle class Jewish family. in 1939 he fled Austria to escape Nazi persecution and soon joined the U.S. Army so he could help fight Hitler.
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War Photographer
War PhotographerVideo Clip (3:00)
Video Clip (3:00)
Albert Fagler's grandfather was an Army Air Corps photographer during WWII and left behind film reels featuring dogfights and his own wedding.
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The Seawolves
The SeawolvesVideo Clip (4:56)
Video Clip (4:56)
A surprise phone call reunites two Vietnam war veterans, George Heady and Al Billings, with films of their service in the Navy Seawolves helicopter unit.
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Take a Vet to School Day: Walt Whitman Middle School
Take a Vet to School Day: Walt Whitman Middle SchoolVideo Clip (4:37)
Video Clip (4:37)
Ryan Steinbach, an Army and Air Force veteran, and Alice Dixon, one of the first African-Americans to serve in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) during World War II, are honored during a Take a Vet to School Day event in Alexandria, Virginia.
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It's Never Too Late to Thank a Vet
It's Never Too Late to Thank a VetVideo Clip (2:40)
Video Clip (2:40)
American citizens send a special message to their loved ones for their military service.
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Vietnam Homecoming
Vietnam HomecomingVideo Clip (3:57)
Video Clip (3:57)
Though shunned by some, Vietnam veteran Sonny Silva was embraced by his family upon his return from the war, and his father captured it all on film.
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Rockie Blunt
Rockie BluntVideo Clip (2:05)
Video Clip (2:05)
Born in 1925 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Army Infantryman Rockie Blunt battled his way across Europe and into the heart of Hitler's Third Reich. What he saw and experienced during the war continues to impact his life today, over 60 years later.
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MacArthur and Me
MacArthur and MeVideo Clip (3:44)
Video Clip (3:44)
Judy Kent's neighbor, George Dibbs, was a combat photographer follwing General MacArthur during WWII and shared his films with her.
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At the Battle of the Bulge
At the Battle of the BulgeVideo Clip (3:34)
Video Clip (3:34)
Jim Banks' neighbor, Herm Graebner, shared with him the films of his journey through Germany and France during WWII.
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A Soldier's Story: Hamburger Hill
A Soldier's Story: Hamburger HillVideo Clip (4:41)
Video Clip (4:41)
In 1969, Arthur Wiknik found himself in one of the Vietnam War's most notorious battles.
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Elizabeth Allen
Elizabeth AllenVideo Clip (3:11)
Video Clip (3:11)
Psychiatric nurse Elizabeth Allen volunteered for the Army and requested frontline duty in Vietnam.
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Charles Scheffel
Charles ScheffelVideo Clip (2:44)
Video Clip (2:44)
Born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma, Captain Jack Scheffel enlisted in the army in order to continue his family's strong tradition of military service. He soon learned that, in war, every decision you make can literally mean the difference between life and death.
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Jack Yusen
Jack YusenVideo Clip (2:20)
Video Clip (2:20)
Raised in Queens, Navy Seaman 1st Class Jack Yusen enlisted in the navy in 1943. In 1944, his ship was sunk off the coast of the Philippines, but he managed to survive the harrowing ordeal.
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Daily Life
Daily LifeVideo Clip (3:03)
Video Clip (3:03)
War is often recounted as one dramatic battle after another. The daily reality for soldiers on the ground is very different, as they perform daily patrols or occupy themselves while awaiting orders.
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Women in the Cockpit
Women in the CockpitVideo Clip (3:52)
Video Clip (3:52)
Dawn Letson befriended a World War II veteran who was a member of the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program, and shares her films from WASP training camp.
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Shelby Westbrook
Shelby WestbrookVideo Clip (2:20)
Video Clip (2:20)
First Lieutenant Shelby Westbrook enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and joined the nation's first all-black air corps shortly after Pearl Harbor. There he not only fought the enemy abroad, but worked hard to set an example for other African Americans struggling for equal rights.
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A Soldier's Story: Fighting in the Delta
A Soldier's Story: Fighting in the DeltaVideo Clip (4:08)
Video Clip (4:08)
The Mekong Delta in South Vietnam was a particularly challenging battleground for the U.S. "River Raider" Gery Benedetti who fought there from 1968 through 1970.
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Veterans Day: American Pickers
Veterans Day: American PickersVideo Clip (0:30)
Video Clip (0:30)
Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz help us honor our veterans for their service.
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Submarine Shooter
Submarine ShooterVideo Clip (3:20)
Video Clip (3:20)
Tom Southwick's father caught amazing moments of life on a submarine on film as a naval photographer during World War II.
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A Soldier's Story: Operation Lam Son 719
A Soldier's Story: Operation Lam Son 719Video Clip (4:12)
Video Clip (4:12)
When the U.S. attacked the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos, they avoided sending in ground troops, leaving that to South Vietnamese fighters. Pilots like Bob Clewell supported the battle, flying in the largest helicopter operation in the war.
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Chaplain G.I.
Chaplain G.I.Video Clip (3:57)
Video Clip (3:57)
The experiences of Bob Marken's father as a chaplain during WWII are preserved on films he left behind for his family.
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A Soldier's Story: Fighting in Cambodia
A Soldier's Story: Fighting in CambodiaVideo Clip (3:42)
Video Clip (3:42)
Late in the war, the U.S. controversially expanded their attacks into Cambodia in order to destroy communist supply lines and bases. In 1970, James Anderson was there.
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Coming Home
Coming HomeVideo Clip (5:00)
Video Clip (5:00)
For many soldiers, coming home was the happiest part of the war. But some were surprised by the response they received when they returned.
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Barry Romo
Barry RomoVideo Clip (3:24)
Video Clip (3:24)
Fresh out of high school, Barry Romo enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve in Vietnam. Romo was awarded a bronze star for his efforts but grew disillusioned with the war and later joined a controversial group called Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
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Veterans Day: The First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden
Veterans Day: The First Lady and Dr. Jill BidenVideo Clip (0:30)
Video Clip (0:30)
First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden tell us about supporting veterans on Veterans Day.
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Charles Brown
Charles BrownVideo Clip (3:07)
Video Clip (3:07)
Raised in the segregated South, Charles Brown thought his best shot at a better life was to join the Army. He was stationed with the 101st Airborne Division and quickly appointed platoon sergeant, leading search and destroy missions through the jungles of Vietnam.
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Veteran's Home Movies
Veteran's Home MoviesVideo Clip (2:44)
Video Clip (2:44)
Find out why more veterans came home with home movies from Vietnam and how they helped give Vietnam in HD a unique perspective of the war.
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From Farm to Flyer
From Farm to FlyerVideo Clip (3:36)
Video Clip (3:36)
Kay Nehring's father was a pilot in the Pacific during WWII and Kay has found a home for his films shot during the war.
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Homefront Funeral
Homefront FuneralVideo Clip (2:29)
Video Clip (2:29)
Kathy Wilczynski's father was a veteran of WWII and was chosen to give the eulogy of a fallen soldier shortly after the war.
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Flying in the South Pacific
Flying in the South PacificVideo Clip (3:31)
Video Clip (3:31)
Fred Linden's father was a PBY naval aviator during World War II and left behind two reels of film documenting his service in the South Pacific.
Photo Galleries (6)
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Veterans Day: Remembering the Armistice
Veterans Day: Remembering the Armistice(13 Photos)
13 Photos
Veterans Day falls on the anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended World War I on November 11, 1918. Meet several World War I veterans and read their reflections on that momentous occasion.
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Voices of D-Day
Voices of D-Day(9 Photos)
9 Photos
Our most powerful and genuine accounts of D-Day come from the veterans who live through this momentous piece of history.
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Remembering D-Day
Remembering D-Day(11 Photos)
11 Photos
On June 6, 1944, known as D-Day, the Allies invaded Normandy, France, in the largest amphibious assault in history. View photos from this historic military operation.
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End of World War II
End of World War II(8 Photos)
8 Photos
View pictures from VE day and VJ day as Americans celebrate the end of World War II.
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Vietnam War
Vietnam War(14 Photos)
14 Photos
The Vietnam War lasted longer than any other war in U.S. history and cost 58,000 American lives
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World War I: Trench Warfare
World War I: Trench Warfare(11 Photos)
11 Photos
Trench warfare reached its highest development on the Western Front during World War I (1914–18), when armies of millions of men faced each other in a line of trenches extending from the Belgian coast through northeastern France to Switzerland.
Speeches & Audio (10)
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Impact of U.S. Withdrawal on South Vietnam
Impact of U.S. Withdrawal on South VietnamAudio Clip (2:47)
Audio Clip (2:47)
Following the January 27, 1973 signing of a ceasefire agreement to end the Vietnam War and the subsequent departure of U.S. troops, the U.S. military prepared the South Vietnamese to take over operations. A U.S. officer who remained in Vietnam to help with the transition is interviewed on October 11, 1973, about the process of bolstering South Vietnam's economy and self-sufficiency.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt on American Progress in World War II
Franklin D. Roosevelt on American Progress in World War IIAudio Clip (1:00)
Audio Clip (1:00)
With the United States now entered into World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt uses the occasion of Washington’s birthday to broadcast to the nation on February 23, 1942, an outline of America’s progress in the war.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt Establishes United States as Arsenal of Democracy
Franklin D. Roosevelt Establishes United States as Arsenal of DemocracyAudio Clip (1:08)
Audio Clip (1:08)
President Franklin D. Roosevelt heralds the defense program of the United States and urges Americans to support an increase in aid to Great Britain to help defeat the Axis powers.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 Labor Day Speech
Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 Labor Day SpeechAudio Clip (1:37)
Audio Clip (1:37)
In his Labor Day radio broadcast in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt reminds his fellow citizens of the need to devote America’s industrial effort to building weaponry in order to "crush Hitler and his Nazi forces."
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Franklin D. Roosevelt's Fourth of July Address
Franklin D. Roosevelt's Fourth of July AddressAudio Clip (2:07)
Audio Clip (2:07)
In a broadcast from his home in Hyde Park, New York, on July 4, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt warns Americans who wish not to get involved in the war that "the United States will never survive as a happy and fertile oasis of liberty surrounded by a cruel desert of dictatorship."
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John F. Kennedy on Coup in South Vietnam
John F. Kennedy on Coup in South VietnamAudio Clip (6:06)
Audio Clip (6:06)
On October 29, 1963, President John F. Kennedy meets with the National Security Council to discuss whether to support the overthrow of South Vietnam's President Ngo Dinh Diem. During the secretly recorded conversation, Secretary of State Dean Rusk and the president craft a detailed plan involving Henry Cabot Lodge, ambassador to South Vietnam, Gen. Paul D. Harkins and the general of the South Vietnamese military, hoping to avoid setting off a civil war in the country.
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Truman Announces Germany's Surrender
Truman Announces Germany's SurrenderAudio Clip (2:04)
Audio Clip (2:04)
In a May 8, 1945, radio broadcast, President Harry Truman announces the unconditional surrender of Germany, but reminds Americans that the war wages on in the Far East.
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Truman Announces Japan's Surrender
Truman Announces Japan's SurrenderAudio Clip (1:57)
Audio Clip (1:57)
On September 1, 1945, in a radio address to the American people, President Harry Truman announces the unconditional surrender of Japan, formalized aboard the U.S.S. Missouri.
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Douglas MacArthur Receives the Japanese Surrender
Douglas MacArthur Receives the Japanese SurrenderAudio Clip (1:21)
Audio Clip (1:21)
On September 2, 1945, aboard the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay, World War II comes to a close when Japanese officials sign the unconditional surrender. Gen. Douglas MacArthur presides over the signing and delivers a short speech on the momentous occasion.
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Saddam Hussein Captured
Saddam Hussein CapturedAudio Clip (2:01)
Audio Clip (2:01)
Almost a year after sending U.S. troops to fight in Iraq, President George W. Bush announces the capture of the country's dictator, Saddam Hussein, in an address to the nation on December 14, 2003.
Interactives (3)
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Infographic
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: InfographicInteractive
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Inside WWII
Inside WWIIInteractive
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WWII Experience
WWII ExperienceInteractive
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Read More about Veterans Day
November 11 is Veterans Day, a U.S. federal holiday dedicated to honoring veterans who served honorably in war or peacetime.
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