While many are celebrating Veterans Day today (November 11), some may still wonder if their mail will arrive.
Since Veterans Day is a federal holiday, some organizations give their employees the day off to spend it with their families. These include postal services and couriers.
This year, Veterans Day falls on a Wednesday – it is celebrated independently of the day on November 11. However, this has not always been the case. According to the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, the law on uniform holidays signed in June 1968 provided for the Veterans Day to be placed on a Monday as a national holiday and a three-day weekend for federal employees. The aim of this step was to promote travel, recreational and cultural activities and to stimulate greater industrial and commercial production.
However, many states disagreed with this decision and continued to celebrate Veterans Day on its original date. When the new law came into force on October 25, 1971, many citizens were confused. To solve the problem, President Gerald Ford signed a law that moved the annual Veterans Day celebration back to November 11, starting in 1978.
Veterans Day and Memorial Day are not the same: the main difference between the two days is that Veterans Day honors those who have served the country in war or peace, dead or alive, while Memorial Day commemorates those who gave their lives.
Other countries also celebrate Veterans Day, but in their own way: November 11 is a day of remembrance for countries that fought in World War I, and although it is called differently in different countries, the story is the same. The United Kingdom calls it Remembrance Day and also commemorates it on the Sunday closest to 11 November, which falls on 10 November 2019. Many countries wear poppies to commemorate those who lost their lives in war and observe two minutes of silence.
Are USPS, UPS and FedEx open on Veterans Day?
The US Postal Service (USPS) will not deliver mail on Veterans Day according to its holiday calendar. Post offices will also be closed, so you will have to wait until the next day to post your letters and packages.
Couriers will deliver letters and packages on Veterans Day. The UPS Web site states that UPS Domestic Ground, Air and International, UPS Freight (LTL/FTL), UPS Forwarding (air and ocean freight), and UPS Express Critical services will be available. However, due to the federal holiday, only a limited number of stores will be open.
With the exception of FedEx SmartPost, FedEx services will be operational on Veterans Day. These include FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Home Delivery, FedEx Freight, FedEx Office, FedEx Custom Critical, and FedEx Trade Networks as listed on the FedEx website.
