11月11日，退伍军人节或退伍军人纪念日（Veterans Day），也称老兵节，是美国联邦假日。这是美国比较重要的一个全国性节日，人们借此向退伍军人、特别是参加过历次战争的退伍军人表达敬意。

最初，美国曾将11月11日定名为休战日（Armistice Day），纪念第一次世界大战于1918年11月11日上午11点正式停战。美国总统威尔逊在实施停战一年后，宣布了第一个停战纪念日，并由此开始了美国一年一度的纪念传统。

每年11月11日，从总统到州长都要向美国全体退伍军人致敬，退伍老兵们则组织游行集会；全国各地的人们也举行各种纪念活动来庆祝节日，几乎每个小镇都有类似的游行集会纪念老兵。

美国，就是这么把爱国主义教育渗透到生活中。

November 11 is Veterans Day, first celebrated in the US in 1919 as Armistice Day, one year after the signing of the treaty that ended World War I. The original focus was on honoring the soldiers who fought and died during World War I. Some people observe a moment of silence at 11:00am on that day (the 11th day of the 11th month), to remember the end of World War I.

Now the focus is broader: to honor those who fought in any American war. The name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954. (The

word veteran means someone who is very experienced. You can be a veteran teacher, or a veteran singer. But the word also specifically means a person who has been in the armed services.) You may see people wearing red poppies (flowers) in their buttonholes on Veterans Day — a token of thanks for their donations to the Disabled American Veterans group. Poppies grew in Belgium where many World War I soldiers were buried.

You can join in the spirit of Veterans Day by honoring all those who have fought for peace. If your country has been in a war with the US, this would be a good time to discuss it. Even though history is complex and difficult, begin to discuss the moral issues involved, and what we can do to prevent war in the future. You will have plenty to talk about...