Veterans Day 2025: Honoring Service While Keeping Business Moving

On Tuesday, November 11, 2025, the United States observes Veterans Day, a time to honor the courage and sacrifice of those who served. For global or remote teams, it’s also a reminder to balance gratitude with continuity, especially as part of a company’s broader business continuity strategy.

This article explores the meaning of Veterans Day 2025, key observances and deals, and practical ways businesses can celebrate the day while keeping operations running smoothly.

Key Takeaways

• A Day of Honor with Operational Implications: Veterans Day in 2025, observed on Tuesday, November 11th, is a U.S. federal holiday to honor all military veterans. For businesses, especially those with global or remote teams, it presents a challenge of balancing respect and recognition with the need for operational continuity.
• The 2025 Theme is “Service to Our Nation”: The official theme for Veterans Day 2025 is “Service to Our Nation,” with an artwork titled “Unified by Service.” This theme provides a valuable opportunity for businesses to reinforce their own company values around service, teamwork, and shared purpose.
• Businesses Must Plan for Staffing and Coverage: As a federal holiday, businesses should anticipate that some U.S.-based employees, particularly veterans or military families, may request time off to attend national or local ceremonies, such as the one at Arlington National Cemetery. Proactive planning, such as offering flexible scheduling and mapping critical coverage, is essential.
• Recognition Goes Beyond a Single Day: While many businesses offer deals and discounts on November 11th, the article stresses that the most impactful support for veterans is a year-round commitment. This includes having active veteran hiring programs, establishing internal mentorship and employee resource groups (ERGs), and recognizing the valuable skills veterans bring to the workforce.

What Is Veterans Day 2025 and Why It Matters

Veterans Day is observed each year on November 11, regardless of the day of the week. For 2025 it falls on a Tuesday, one of several key US holidays in 2025 that employers should plan around to maintain workflow and engagement.

Origins & Evolution

• The date marks the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” in 1918, when the armistice ending World War I hostilities took effect.
• At first known as Armistice Day, it became a U.S. federal holiday in 1938. 
• In 1954, the day was renamed Veterans Day to honour all U.S. veterans from all wars, not solely those of WWI.
• Today, the observance includes a national ceremony at Arlington as well as regional sites across the country.

Why it matters for business

For employers, even those outside the defense space, Veterans Day offers a moment to reflect on themes of service, leadership, and resilience, qualities essential for every thriving workplace. And for globally distributed teams, maintaining balance between recognition and productivity is key to offshore staffing success.

Veterans Day 2025 Theme: “Service to Our Nation”

For 2025, the official theme of Veterans Day is “Service to Our Nation”. The official poster artwork is titled “Unified by Service”, created by artist and Army veteran Jeremy D. Carpenter. The design features a bald eagle over the American flag, with the seals of all uniformed services presented on a banner, symbolising unity of mission under one flag.

Why this theme is relevant

• The notion of “service” resonates not only with military veterans, but with organisations whose employees support customers, operations, stakeholders and communities.
• The idea of being “unified by service” underscores the importance of cross-team collaboration, shared purpose and inclusive culture, particularly relevant for companies with remote or offshore staffing.
• For business leaders, this provides a lens: how can we honour the veteran mindset (commitment, excellence, mission-focus) in our own teams, and recognise veterans as integral to our workforce and culture?

The theme resonates strongly with modern organizations that value teamwork and mission alignment. It’s also an opportunity for leaders managing offshoring trends to reinforce a culture of shared service across global teams.

Reflection for business

As you plan your company’s mark of Veterans Day 2025, consider the following questions:

• Do you have veteran colleagues and remote/hybrid employees who may appreciate recognition or flexible scheduling that day?
• How can your message reflect “service” internally, expressing thanks, showcasing stories of veterans, or supporting veteran-facing programmes?
• How can this observance align with your year-round values of inclusion, leadership and continuity?

Veterans Day Across America: Ceremonies and Regional Observances

The national focal point for Veterans Day is the annual ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Key details:

• The ceremony starts at 11:00 a.m. at Arlington’s Memorial Amphitheatre, including a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
• The Veterans Day National Committee designates regional observance sites each year, these serve as models for local ceremonies.

Considerations for businesses

• For U.S. employers, expect that some employees, especially veterans, reservists or military families, may choose to participate in local events (parades, ceremonies). Offering flex time or acknowledging their observation may strengthen culture.
• If your organisation has remote teams in the U.S., coordinate ahead: ensure awareness of local office closures or reduced staffing in regions where events may affect availability.
• Encourage internal communication: share key regional observances and how employees can engage if they wish (volunteering, attending local events, etc.)

For employers, especially those managing hybrid or remote operations, planning ahead ensures smooth workflows and coverage, similar to how companies prepare during a U.S. government shutdown or other national events that affect availability.

Veterans Day 2025 Deals and Discounts

Many national chains offer meals, retail discounts and free admissions for veterans, active duty service members and their families on Veterans Day. These can serve as meaningful perks, both for your veteran-employees, and as inspiration for your own company recognition efforts.

Highlighted deals for 2025

• According to Military.com, free meals at chains such as Denny’s (free Original Grand Slam Nov 11) and Applebee’s (free meal from select menu Nov 11) are confirmed.
• Retail offers: e.g., Target is offering 10% military discount through Nov 11, and Kohl’s offers 30% off for veterans/active duty Nov 10–11.

Top 5 Ways Companies Say Thank You

Here are concrete ideas employers can borrow when recognising veterans:

1. Offer a company-sponsored meal voucher or gift card reserved for veteran employees.
2. Provide an extra paid half-day on Nov 11 for veteran employees (or flexible scheduling) to attend local ceremonies.
3. Highlight veteran employee stories via internal newsletter or social media, with permissions.
4. Partner with veteran-serving non-profits (e.g., Disabled American Veterans) and offer a company donation or volunteer day.
5. Create a discount bundle or ‘thank you’ benefit for veteran employees (e.g., extra PTO, company swag, training stipend) acknowledging their service.

Reminder

Always verify participation details: franchises vary, offers may require proof of service (ID card, DD214) and local participation may differ.

How Businesses Can Honor Veterans While Staying Productive

For HR and operations leaders, the key is balancing respect with continuity. Here are actionable strategies:

1. Planning ahead for operational continuity

• Communicate early: Let all employees (especially U.S.-based) know about Nov 11 observance and any potential staffing implications.
• Offer flexible scheduling: For teams working global or multi-time-zone shifts, allow veteran or military-family employees to adjust their schedule that day.
• Map critical coverage: Identify roles that require coverage on Nov 11 and ensure backup plans or cross-training in place.

2. Internal recognition that aligns with workflow

• Host a short virtual or in-person “thank you” ceremony or moment of silence at 11:00 a.m. local time for U.S. teams.
• Share a brief company e-mail or intranet post spotlighting veterans in your workforce and linking to further reading (e.g., about “Service to Our Nation” theme).
• Encourage voluntary participation rather than mandatory, some may prefer working through the day.

3. External engagement & brand alignment

• Publicly (e.g., on LinkedIn) recognise the company’s veteran employees and/or hiring commitments to veterans, ties to employer brand.
• Offer volunteer/charity time: e.g., allow teams to donate two hours on Nov 11 to a veteran-serving organisation, while maintaining core business performance.
• Reflect the theme: Use the language of service, unity and mission in your company messaging around Veterans Day.

4. Metrics and follow-through

• Post-day, gather feedback: ask veteran employees what they found meaningful and how the company could improve recognition.
• Track participation and any operational impacts: Did flexible scheduling work? Were service commitments fulfilled without workflow disruption?
• Use learnings for next year’s planning, turn the observance into a repeatable, low-friction part of your culture.

Supporting Veterans Beyond the Holiday

Veterans Day is a meaningful annual milestone but impactful companies treat veteran inclusion as a year-round commitment.

Sustained initiatives

• Veteran hiring: Include veteran talent pipelines in your recruitment strategy. Recognise that veterans bring leadership, adaptability, mission-focus.
• Mentorship programmes: Pair veteran employees with junior talent or new hires, leveraging leadership and diverse experience.
• Partnerships with veteran organisations: Establish long-term relationships (not just once a year) with veteran-serving NGOs, employment programmes and community groups.
• Internal culture building: Create veteran employee resource groups (ERGs) or communities of practice within your company to drive engagement and recognition.
• Business continuity view: Veterans often have strong experience in structured operations and resilience, translating their mindset into your offshore, remote or distributed staffing strategy enhances continuity. (For example, this connects nicely with themes discussed in our blog post on “Why Remote Software Engineers Are Key to Startup Innovation” or “Offshore IT Staffing That Doesn’t Break Your Product Roadmap”.)

Final Thoughts

Veterans Day 2025 offers more than a date on the calendar. On Tuesday, November 11, 2025, organisations have the opportunity to honour the service of U.S. veterans in a way that reinforces culture, strengthens loyalty and aligns with business-continuity needs. By embracing the theme “Service to Our Nation”, employers can reflect mission-driven values not just in words but in meaningful action.

Plan now how your company will honour veterans on Nov 11 and embed recognition beyond that day. A thoughtful observance today can lead to lasting impact tomorrow.

Thank you to all who have served and to the businesses that stand beside them in honesty, gratitude and operational excellence.

Frequently Asked Questions