Mural Wall, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Washington, DC

© Steve Tulley/Alamy

Veterans Day - Heroes among us

Freedom is not free, and nobody understands that better than veterans. Today, America honors its military men and women for their service. The holiday originally celebrated the end of fighting on the Western Front during World War I on November 11, 1918—the official end of the war came the following year. Armistice Day, as it was later named, became a federal holiday in 1938. Following World War II and the Korean War, Congress amended the holiday in 1954, exchanging the word 'Armistice' with 'Veterans' to include veterans of all the country's wars.

Today's image depicts the Mural Wall, one of five parts of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. Also known as 'The Forgotten War,' the three-year conflict began in 1950 and was one of America's most hard-fought wars. Near the National Mall, the Korean War Veterans Memorial honors the tens of thousands of US service personnel who died or went missing and more than 100,000 soldiers who were wounded.