This year, Veterans Day will be celebrated on Wednesday, November 11. The holiday is always celebrated on the same date unless it falls on a Sunday, in which case it is celebrated on Monday, November 12. This is a day on which we celebrate our living veterans as opposed to Memorial Day which is reserved for those who gave their lives for our country.
Federal offices will be closed, but state and local offices and other businesses may remain open. There will be no mail; most banks and schools will be closed; but the financial markets will be open. Many restaurants and golf courses offer special deals for veterans. Because of COVID normal celebrations, such as parades, will likely be cancelled, or at least muted.
Many of you have requested a quiz. So, here it is, and in honor of Veterans Day it has a military theme. Good luck and no peeking at the internet. No consulting “Alexa” or “Siri.”
1. Who was the US president during the first war against the Barbary Pirates? (a) George Washington, (b) John Adams, (c) Thomas Jefferson, (d James Monroe
2. The WWI battle that inspired the poem “In Flanders Field” took place in (a) Ardennes, (b) Charleroi, (c) Gallipoli, (d) Ypres
3. Each of the following presidents had been renowned generals, EXCEPT: a) Teddy Roosevelt, (b) Andrew Jackson, (c) Zachary Taylor, (d) Franklyn Pierce
4. “Pickett’s Charge” was the turning point of what Civil War battle? (a) Bull Run, (b) Manassas, (c) Gettysburg, (d) Fredericksburg
5. The “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” refers to which Revolutionary War battle? (a) Boston, (b) Lexington, (c) Concord, (d) NY
6. Tripoli, the stronghold of the Barbary Pirates, was located in what present-day country? (a) Libya, (b) Algeria, (c) Tunisia, (d)Egypt
7. The Alamo is located in which city? (a) Houston, (b) San Antonio, (c) Austin, (d) Galveston
8. The US fought the Gulf War against (a) Iran, (b) Syria, (c) Kuwait, (d) Iraq
9. Who said “Damn the torpedoes; full speed ahead.” (a) David Farragut, (b) John Paul Jones, (c) Ethan Allen, (d) Jonathan Eli
10. Which was resulted in the highest number of casualties? (a) WWI, (b) WWII, (c) Korean War, (d) Civil War
11. Fort Sumter is located in which state? (a) North Carolina, (b) South Carolina, (c) Georgia, (d) Alabama
12. Custer’s Last Stand took place in which modern-day state? (a) North Dakota, (b) South Dakota, (c) Montana, (d) Idaho
13. Each of the following was a WWII battle in the Pacific theatre, EXCEPT (a) El Alamein, (b) Guadalcanal, (c) Okinawa, (d) Midway
14. Who was the US President during WWI? (a) Teddy Roosevelt, (b) Woodrow Wilson, (c) William Howard Taft, (d) Warren Harding
15. When General Douglas MacArthur said “I shall return,” to which country was he referring? (a) Australia, (b) New Guinea, (c) Guam, (d) Philippines
16. The Korean War began in (1) 1949, (b) 1950, (c) 1951, (d) 1952
17. Who was president during the Spanish-American War? (a) Grover Cleveland, (b) James Garfield, (c) Rutherford B. Hayes, (d) William McKinley
18. Where is Mt. Suribachi? (a) Iwo Jima, (b) Okinawa, (c) Tarawa, (d) Japan
19. Where is Vicksburg? (a) Alabama, (b) Louisiana, (c) Missouri, (d) Mississippi
20. When was the Veterans Administration founded? (a) 1870, (b) 1930, (c) 1950, (d) 1972
ANSWERS: 1. c; 2. d; 3. a; 4. c; 5. c; 6. a; 7. b; 8. d; 9. a; 10. d; (more than all the other wars combined. 11. b; 12. c; 13. a; 14. b; 15. d; 16. b; 17. d. 18. a; 19. d; 20. b.
Well, there you have it. Tell me how you did, good or (as my grandson used to say) not so good.
We Built It Blog by Larry Jacob 