WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new federal Web page promoting Veterans Day offers a wealth of information about the Nov. 11 celebration that honors all American veterans.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) site — http://www.va.gov/pubaff/vetsday — includes material for educators to help incorporate Veterans Day into school curricula.
VA annually mails information kits to 110,000 schools around the country. Hundreds of requests for instructional materials are received at the last minute. Now, teachers and students can download this information.
Among the resources available over the Internet are posters, fact sheets on such topics as the origin of Veterans Day and the proper display of the U.S. flag, a guide to locations throughout the country where nationally recognized Veterans Day observances will be held, historical information and a section labeled "cool stuff for kids."
"Our focus on educators reflects VA's commitment to help our younger generation appreciate this annual tribute to those who served honorably in America's military services," said VA Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs John Hanson.
The Web site includes the script of a play about Veterans Day written by an elementary school teacher in Marietta, Ga., Maggie Call. The Teacher Resource Guide offers suggestions for a variety of school programs including poster contests, patriotic decorations in the school cafeteria and such research projects as student interviews of relatives who are veterans.
The Teacher Resource Guide also includes a popular VA fact sheet, "America's Wars," a statistical review of U.S. troops' participation in various conflicts throughout history and the latest population estimates of the number of veterans alive today from different wars.
