Veterans Resources: Home

The votes are in and the winner of the 2025 Veterans Day Poster Contest is Jeremy D. Carpenter, whose creation “Unified by Service” reflects the 2025 Veterans Day theme “Service to Our Nation” by visually uniting all uniformed services under one flag and one purpose.

Image Credit: Jesse T. Hummingbird (Cherokee, b. 1952), Veterans, 2016. Acrylic on canvas, 101.4 x 76 x 3.5 cm. NMAI 26/9780

Why We Serve honors the generations of Native Americans who have served in the armed forces of the United States—often in extraordinary numbers—since the American Revolution. For some, the Indigenous commitment to the U.S. military doesn’t make sense. Why would Indians serve a country that overran their homelands, suppressed their cultures, and confined them to reservations? 

https://americanindian.si.edu/why-we-serve/

The Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. It was founded through unanimous vote in both the House and Senate and became Public Law 106-380, October 27, 2000.

Jefferson College Library is a congressionally designated selective depository for U.S. Government documents. Public access to the government documents collection is guaranteed by public law (U.S.C. Title 44, Sections 1710 and 1711).      The Federal Depository Library Program was established by Congress to ensure that the American public has access to its Government’s information. GPO administers the FDLP on behalf of the participating libraries and the public.

In October 1775 the U.S. Navy was created, followed in November of 1775 by the creation of the U.S. Marines. 

“'Let Americans disdain to be the instruments of European greatness! Let the thirteen States, bound together in a strict and indissoluble Union, concur in erecting one great American system, superior to the control of all transatlantic force or influence, and able to dictate the terms of the connection between the old and the new world!'

So ended Alexander Hamilton’s essay (no. 11 of the Federalist Papers, 1787) on the crucial role a navy would play in safeguarding America’s commerce and reputation. The essay also laid out all the hopes of the new nation: peace, prosperity, and respect from the mighty nations of Europe.

Yet the Navy’s creation and development proceeded piecemeal and haltingly in face of seemingly intractable political, ideological, and economic obstacles. It took a quarter century for the Navy to emerge as a stable institution, and although we now celebrate the birthday of the Navy on 13 October, that date in 1775 is but one of several important steps on the way to a permanent naval defense force for the American people." Read more about the origins of the Navy and the Marines below:

https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/origins-of-the-navy/birth-of-the-us-navy.html  

https://www.usmcu.edu/Research/Marine-Corps-History-Division/Brief

Source: Navy History and Heritage Command. "The Birth of the Navy" by Adam Bisno, Ph.D., NHHC Communication and Outreach Division, February 2019

Americans have gone to war to win their independence, expand their national boundaries, define their freedoms, and defend their interests around the globe. This exhibition examines how wars have shaped the nation’s history and transformed American society. It highlights the service and sacrifice of generations of American men and women.

Learn more and create lessons with the 2024 Veterans Day Teachers Resource Guide. https://department.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2024_VeteransDayTeachersGuide.pdf

Souce: https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_media_wire/4983886-map-how-many-veterans-live-in-your-state/

Based on the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates

This booklet is designed to bring together all benefits available by the State of Missouri as well as  related services provided by the U.S. Government. This benefits guide is a constant work in progress as new benefits become available to Veterans and their dependents.

What is the history of the Department of Veteran Affairs? The origin story of the modern VA includes several previous entities and names dating as far back as the American colonies. To help understand that legacy, this site serves as the centralized digital location for VA’s history with the focus of educating about the special relationship between the nation and its Veterans, including how that has impacted society. Here there are various stories and exhibits that examine the individuals, institutions and innovations of the last 250 years. 

https://department.va.gov/history/

A Century of Honor: A Commemorative Guide to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is available in print at Jefferson College Library in the Federal Depository Library collection, as well as online. 

The sarcophagus of the completed Tomb, after its dedication in May 1932 (National Archives and Records Administration) Rich and Jones designed the finalized sarcophagus for the Tomb to be rich in symbolism. One side features carved figures representing Peace, Victory, and Valor. The other side includes the inscription, “Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God.” Rich sculpted many of the marble carvings himself, along with the Piccirilli Brothers, a renowned family of sculptors.

A small selection of titles from our collection and MOBIUS libraries. Ask for assistance.