The Power of a Name: Why the Attempt to Rename Veterans Day to ‘Victory Day’ Failed

The recent push by a former administration to rename the solemn federal holiday, Veterans Day, to “Victory Day for World War I” quickly fizzled out.1 Why did this seemingly simple change spark such immediate and widespread opposition, particularly from veterans’ groups?

The answer lies in the profound, often subtle, cultural power of a name. This failed attempt, alongside other significant Administration Renaming efforts—from Denali to Fort Liberty—reveals a fundamental clash between a unilateral, top-down approach to naming and the deeply ingrained, deliberative renaming traditions that reflect America’s shared values.

🇺🇸 From Armistice to All: The True Meaning of Veterans Day

Veterans Day, observed annually on November 11th, has a history rooted in the end of World War I. Originally known as Armistice Day, it commemorated the cessation of major hostilities at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.
However, after World War II and the Korean War, the purpose evolved. In 1954, Congress, at the urging of veterans service organizations, officially changed the name to Veterans Day.

• Armistice Day (Pre-1954):5 Focused primarily on honoring World War I veterans and the cause of world peace.6
• Veterans Day (Post-1954): Rededicated to honor all U.S.military veterans—living or deceased—who have served in the armed forces, across all conflicts and times of peace.

The former president’s proposal to change the name to “Victory Day for World War I” sought to shift the holiday’s focus back to a single military victory and a celebration of “conquest.”8 Veterans’ organizations like the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) swiftly and forcefully objected.9 They argued that such a name change would.

1. Exclude Modern Veterans: The vast majority of living U.S. veterans served post-World War I (Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.). The proposal risked marginalizing over 99% of the living veteran population.

2.Shift Focus from Service to Conquest: Veterans Day honors the sacrifice, courage and willingness to serve of all individuals.”Victory Day” emphasizes military triumph which opponents viewed as a tone deaf shift from sacrifice to conquest.

This unified powerful opposition forced the administration to quickly backtrack, illustrating the importance of the holiday’s current inclusive identity

.The Anthropological Insight:Names as Cultural Anchors

As anthropologists have long studied, naming is a universal yet highly varied human practice.Anthropological Naming Practices are never random they are deeply reflective of a society’s core values, morality, and social structure.

•Jola Personal Names: Among the Jola villagers in West Africa, names often encode a story about a social faux pas a gentle, non-confrontational way to recall a moral code and promote prosocial behavior.
•Western Apache Placenames Places like “crescent moon camp” not only describe the landscape but also allude to spatially anchored morality tales, prompting community members to reflect on their misconduct.

In both examples, names serve as an evocative, gentle invitation for reflection and communal self-correction.They function as “tools for conviviality,” nurturing shared goals.

The Clash Deliberation vs. Unilateral Action

The article highlights a profound difference between historically accepted deliberative renaming and the recent wave of changes.

Method of Renaming Characteristic Approach Examples

Deliberative Involved public debate, collective decision-making, and ample consideration, often to reflect a changed understanding or to restore indigenous names. Renaming Mount McKinley back to Denali (requested by the Alaska Legislature in 1975, enacted by Obama in 2015)

.Unilateral/Despotic Swift, unsubtle, and mandated by executive order or decree, often to reverse previous decisions or assert dominance

.The attempt to rename Veterans Day; the unilateral order to revert Denali’s name to McKinley; the renaming of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg by a political appointee.

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.When the Power to Name is used through Unilateral Action/Despotic Tactics, it functions as an Instrument of Control—bluntly dictating a preferred version of history or ideology.

This contrasts sharply with the subtle, inclusive reflection embodied by the current Veterans Day name.Attempts at Anti Creative Renaming that seek to contain and constrain history inevitably draw backlash, as they denude history and humanity rather than inviting shared understanding.

The fizzling of the “Victory Day” proposal confirms that when a name is tied to a collective, solemn value like honoring all who served, the public will reject its distortion.

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Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the original author (Joanna Davidson, an Associate Professor of Anthropology) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of this publication, its editors, or its affiliates.