# Have to work on Veteran's Day?! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 11, 2013, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641 "2013-11-11T14:28:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641/41 "2013-11-12T01:16:38Z")
It’s Remembrance Day here, and I work it just like any other holiday. People seem to expect 9-1-1 to answer their calls 24/7/365. ---
**Author:** ![Zago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecccb3/32.png) [@Zago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zago)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641/42 "2013-11-12T01:17:53Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > [How about 2011?](http://archive.opm.gov/Operating_Status_Schedules/fedhol/2011.asp) Or [2010](http://archive.opm.gov/Operating_Status_Schedules/fedhol/2010.asp), or [2009](http://archive.opm.gov/Operating_Status_Schedules/fedhol/2009.asp), or [2008](http://archive.opm.gov/Operating_Status_Schedules/fedhol/2008.asp)? I realize now that state and local governments can dictate when the holiday is observed. I should have said that in _ **Massachusetts** _, Veteran’s Day is always observed on a Monday (in my experience, having lived here for 30 years). ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641/43 "2013-11-12T01:21:14Z")
Everyone I know who doesn’t work for the government at some level (which is almost everyone I know) had to work today. It may be a Federal Holiday, but it’s always been a work day for us civilians. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641/44 "2013-11-12T01:24:00Z")
> [@Zago](#): > > I realize now that state and local governments can dictate when the holiday is observed. I should have said that in _ **Massachusetts** _, Veteran’s Day is always observed on a Monday (in my experience, having lived here for 30 years). Interesting. I’ve never heard of Veteran’s Day being moved. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641/45 "2013-11-12T01:27:33Z")
Not only do I have to work Vetran’s day, I also work Memorial day, 4th of July, and Labor day. Retail sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641/46 "2013-11-12T06:54:52Z")
While I was off work this Veteran’s Day, someone sent me a link to [this memorial](http://imgur.com/CrPaC). I’m impressed. This is what stonehenge wants to be when it grows up. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641/47 "2013-11-12T08:02:00Z")
Remembrance Day (Armistice Day when I was growing up in New Zealand) is not a public holiday in Australia (we have Anzac Day, which is sort of a public holiday) so I, like most other people, was at work. The day has a bit of an identity crisis here because, to the average punter, it’s about commemorating the same stuff as Anzac Day, but you don’t get a (half-) day off. There is some concern Anzac Day is becoming a bit too mythologised, so it’s possible Remembrance Day will become more popular in due course as a chance for people to pay their repsects without all the flag-waving and overt declarations of “Strayaness” which some perceive as being increasingly part of Anzac Day. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641/48 "2013-11-12T14:35:37Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Yes, have to work. Also forgot it was a holiday and tried to drop my kid off at a very closed school. So I’m a bad American and a bad parent. Yes, I had to work. But I work for a public school district. Which was very much open. ETA: I have never had a job that gave me Veteran’s day off, nor can I ever remember anything being closed on Veteran’s day other than banks, courthouses, and mail delivery. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641/49 "2013-11-12T14:40:19Z")
Stopped at a bar after work where first beer was free to veterans. I’m not a veteran, but a few of my drinking buddies are, so I bought a few guys their second. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641/50 "2013-11-12T14:58:19Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Remembrance Day (Armistice Day when I was growing up in New Zealand) is not a public holiday in Australia (we have Anzac Day, which is sort of a public holiday) so I, like most other people, was at work. > > The day has a bit of an identity crisis here because, to the average punter, it’s about commemorating the same stuff as Anzac Day, but you don’t get a (half-) day off. > > There is some concern Anzac Day is becoming a bit too mythologised, so it’s possible Remembrance Day will become more popular in due course as a chance for people to pay their repsects without all the flag-waving and overt declarations of “Strayaness” which some perceive as being increasingly part of Anzac Day. Strayaness? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641/51 "2013-11-12T15:03:02Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Stopped at a bar after work where first beer was free to veterans. I’m not a veteran, but a few of my drinking buddies are, so I bought a few guys their second. Odd bar moment. A twenty something heard a guy talking about the army. Kid asked veteran if he was in Afghanistan. Veteran replied no, Korea. Kid was flabbergasted, thinking he missed breaking news that we are at war with Korea.😕 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641/52 "2013-11-12T15:28:28Z")
They could at least let us Vets off. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641/53 "2013-11-13T11:13:42Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Strayaness? In Strine - the very broad Australian accent typically associated with working class bogans (uncultured yobs, not entirely dissimiler to rednecks in the US and chavs in the UK) - “Australia” is stereotypically sounds something like “Osstraya” and is further shorted to “Straya”. Hence, “Strayaness” is “Australianess” in Bogan. The English language is a complicated thing at the best of times and Australian English is doubly so, I’m afraid… ---
**Author:** ![James\_Toothpaste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e56c9b/32.png) [@James\_Toothpaste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Toothpaste)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641/54 "2013-11-14T22:16:27Z")
It’s the first option for me. What happened to the holiday? 😕 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-to-work-on-veterans-day/673641.md?page=2)