In which city was the first Veterans Day celebration organized by Raymond Weeks held?

Raymond Weeks organized the first Veterans Day celebration in Birmingham, Alabama.

Weeks, an Alabama World War II veteran, proposed expanding Armistice Day into a holiday honoring veterans of every American war. He organized Birmingham’s first celebration on November 11, 1947, several years before Congress officially adopted the name Veterans Day.

The event included a parade and public activities designed to unite veterans from different generations. Weeks continued promoting the idea nationally and became closely associated with the holiday’s development.

President Ronald Reagan later recognized Weeks’ contribution by presenting him with the Presidential Citizens Medal in 1982. Birmingham’s early celebration is therefore an important part of the holiday’s history, even though the federal name change came in 1954.