Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran, organized a “National Veterans Day” event for all veterans on Nov. 11, 1947, the department said. The event was originally called Armistice Day, but later former U.S. Congressman Edward Rees of Kansas proposed a bill to change the name to Veterans Day, the department said. The bill was passed in 1954.

Today is Veterans Day, a time to honor all U.S. military veterans past and present. The day traces its roots to the end of World War I when on Nov. 11, 1918, an armistice between the U.S.-led Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.