Observed annually on Nov. 11, Veterans Day (known as Armistice Day until 1954) was initiated by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, exactly one year after World War I ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Military training has been part of the University of Illinois curriculum for its entire history. Prior to UI instituting its Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program in 1917, the 1862 Morrill Act obligated land-grant universities to instruct its male students in military tactics.
UI students have faithfully answered the call into the nation's armed forces. More than 9,000 Illini served in World War I and more than 20,000 entered service in World War II.