Veterans Day: 5 Interesting facts about the holiday's history

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Twitter

Are Confederates considered veterans?

The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee at Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. Photo taken Monday, July 13, 2020.
The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee at Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. Photo taken Monday, July 13, 2020. | The Christian Post

As the U.S. broadened the observance to include all veterans, some questioned whether this included those who fought for the Confederate States of America.

According to a 2020 fact check from USA Today, there has never been such an effort, with the closest being a 1958 law that allowed for certain benefits to former Confederate soldiers, but not did not give them the specific official status of veteran.

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“While federal law authorizes some benefits for former Confederates, such as the marking of unmarked graves of Confederate service members outside VA national cemeteries, this does not confer U.S. Veteran status for other VA benefits to those affected,” explained Les’ A. Melnyk of the National Cemetery Administration, which is part of the Department of Veterans Affairs, as quoted in the fact check.

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