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Veterans Day is here and the annual federal holiday honors those who served in the United States Armed Forces in all capacities. On social media, several Black veterans are sharing images of themselves in military garb and we’re highlighting what we’ve seen so far on Veterans Day.
To explain the history of the holiday, we look to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and their explainer below:
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
According to Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), over 350,000 Black active duty and select reserve members are currently serving in the military in addition to over 2.4 million Black veterans in the country. This is referenced in the study, “Missing Perspectives: Black & African Americans in the Military—From Service to Civilian Life.”
While Black veterans are joined in celebration, that same study wrote in their findings that 56% of respondents said they faced issues around racial/ethnic discrimination with 455 saying that their racial/ethnic identity made it difficult to get ahead at work. Adding to that, 59% said that their transition into life outside the military was difficult. It should be noted that the study highlights several positives as well.
As we salute those who joined the military at great risk and reward on Veterans Day, check out the gallery of posts below to see Black veterans shine in their element.
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Photo: Getty
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Donald Trump’s involvement in an event honoring fallen veterans at Arlington National Ceremony came with reports of his campaign team getting physical with a cemetery official.
On Monday (Aug. 26), Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and members of his campaign team caused controversy after two members got into a verbal and physical altercation with an official at Arlington National Cemetery. Trump was at the cemetery to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony honoring the deadly attack on U.S. military forces in Afghanistan as they were withdrawing from the country in 2021. When an attempt was made to prevent his staff from entering Section 60 of the cemetery to film and take photographs by an official, they were verbally abused and pushed aside, according to a source.
Trump would take a photograph next to the gravesite of one of the soldiers killed in the withdrawal, giving a thumbs-up gesture. He was surrounded by Gold Star families, whom he thanked for inviting him. The rules of the cemetery prohibit “political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign.”
“The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of [former]President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement. In a press release, Arlington National Cemetery said it “can confirm there was an incident, and a report was filed.” They opted not to share further details to protect the official’s identity. Vice presidential candidate and Ohio Senator JD Vance, who spoke at a campaign event on Wednesday, dismissed the situation: “The altercation at Arlington Cemetery is the media creating a story where I really don’t think that there is one.”
The incident is another low point for Trump, who had not participated in the anniversary event in 2022 or 2023 and had enlisted House Speaker Mike Johnson to intervene to allow him at the event this year. Veterans have been increasingly vocal about the incident, expressing outrage at the callous behavior. The Army would issue a statement about the incident on Thursday (Aug. 29), saying: “This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the A.N.C. employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.”
V is preparing to enlist in the South Korean military, and took to Weverse on Sunday (Dec. 10) to share an emotional message to BTS’ fans, called the ARMY.
“I will miss you so much,” the note, written in Korean, reads. “Actually, I’m really sad that I can’t make happy memories with my ARMY for the time being […] it’s the hardest not to see the ARMY. I’II be back after 18 months of being healthy, so take care of your ARMY and if you’re looking for something to be happy about every day, cheers! I’m here! I’ll be back!”
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“Within 18 months, I’ve prepared a lot of things. Please look forward do it,” the 27-year-old singer added, before concluding, “I’ll really miss you. I love you so much.”
See his full message on Weverse here, which also includes a number of selfies of V, including the singer with a shaved head before he heads off to the military.
V is fresh off the release of a music video for “Blue,” the fourth single from his debut album, Layover. The set — which includes “Love Me Again,” “Slow Dancing” (plus its piano version), “For Us” and “Rainy Days” — arrived on Sept. 8.
The K-pop supergroup’s label, Big Hit, shared earlier this month that the final four band members — RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — are beginning their military enlistment process, following Jin, J-Hope and Suga, who are already enlisted. “We ask that you only give a warm send-off and encouragement to RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook with your heart,” the statement read.
South Korea requires an 18-month military service stint for all able-bodied men by the time they turn 28. BTS announced a pause in their group work in October 2022 to allow all the singers to enlist. BTS is expected to reconvene in 2025 when all have completed their duty to country.
Jung Kook is preparing to enlist in the South Korean military, and took to Weverse on Wednesday (Nov. 22) to send a sweet message to the ARMY. “In December, I will start a new journey I’m leaving you for a while to serve in the military,” he wrote . “As I share this news, I […]
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