Brig. Gen. James Bonner
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Nov. 10, 2020) — In 1918, at the 11th hour, on the 11th day, of the 11th month, the guns of Europe fell silent and ended more than four years of brutal conflict. The next year, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 “Armistice Day” to recognize the heroism of America’s World War I veterans. After World War II and the Korean War, Congress renamed the holiday “Veterans Day” to include all of our veterans.
Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that we have nearly 19.5 million veterans in the United States. These service members form an unbroken chain of patriots from World War II to the present day, and they continue to serve and lead in their communities.
More than 250,000 service members leave the total force every year. These individuals have given our country so much in support of operations around the globe. We must continue to take care of our veterans to show prospective service members that we will care for them after their time in uniform ends to ensure the future health of our military.
Here at Fort Leonard Wood, we support nearly 60,200 retirees on a daily basis. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have found ways to support our separating service members through the advertisement of local job postings and virtual job fairs. Also, nearly 50 percent of our Department of the Army civilians are veterans.
We appreciate the critical roles veterans fill in our community and our Team of Teams. On behalf of a grateful nation, we thank you for all you do. We are proud to serve with you!
Victory starts here . . . Victory through skill!
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About Fort Leonard Wood
Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.
Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.
Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.
More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission