Veterans
GalleryVeterans Day ceremony honors millions who served during World War II
Stars and Stripes
November 11, 2025
World War II veteran Witold Brick, right, is escorted to a wreath-laying during a Veterans Day event at the World War II Memorial in Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. The ceremony honored the 16 million members of the U.S. armed forces who served in World War II. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
Friends of the National World War II Memorial and the National Park Service on Tuesday co-hosted a Veterans Day observance at the memorial, honoring the 16 million American men and women who served in the military during the war.
WWII veterans paid tribute to their fallen brothers and sisters on the cold and windy morning in Washington by placing wreaths at the memorial’s Freedom Wall.
“It’s wonderful that we’ve got all these people here to come and celebrate with us, because each one is a little hero, coming out in this cold weather,” said retired Army Col. Frank Cohn, one of the last survivors of the Battle of the Bulge, who turned 100 this year. “And I appreciate all of them coming.”
“It’s a remembrance of the all the people who didn’t get through the war, the ones who were killed,” said Cohn. “We have to memorialize them, because they did everything, to even give their lives, to the freedom that we wanted. And this is what’s important: We got the freedom, and we should keep it. And everybody’s gotta help keep it, too.”
Participants salute during the playing of the national anthem during a Veterans Day event at the World War II Memorial in Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. The ceremony honored the 16 million members of the U.S. armed forces who served in World War II. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
World War II veteran Witold Brick, right, touches a wreath honoring fellow World War II veterans during a Veterans Day event at the World War II Memorial in Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. The ceremony honored the 16 million members of the U.S. armed forces who served in World War II. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
World War II veteran Witold Brick, left, greets members of the public during a Veterans Day event at the World War II Memorial in Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. The ceremony honored the 16 million members of the U.S. armed forces who served in World War II. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
World War II veteran Witold Brick, right, is escorted to a wreath honoring fellow World War II veterans during a Veterans Day event at the World War II Memorial in Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. The ceremony honored the 16 million members of the U.S. armed forces who served in World War II. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
World War II veterans and supporters salute during the playing of taps during a Veterans Day event at the World War II Memorial in Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. The ceremony honored the 16 million members of the U.S. armed forces who served in World War II. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
Attendees applaud World War II veterans during a Veterans Day event at the World War II Memorial in Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. The ceremony honored the 16 million members of the U.S. armed forces who served in World War II. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
World War II historian Alex Kershaw speaks during a Veterans Day event at the World War II Memorial in Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. The ceremony honored the 16 million members of the U.S. armed forces who served in World War II. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)