Veterans Day in New York State, like across the United States, traces its origins to Armistice Day, a holiday established to commemorate the end of World War I on November 11, 1918. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day in 1919, honoring the armistice and the soldiers who served in the “war to end all wars.” In New York, a significant military hub with large numbers of servicemembers from the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, the holiday was marked by parades and ceremonies across the state.