A Black veteran says no to ‘Victory Day’

I’m an Air Force veteran. My father served in the Marine Corps, Army, and Air Force. My grandfather was in the Navy. My godfathers? Both colonels.

I’m a military community advocate at Ohio State, and I’ve got uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends who have served or are still serving.

I am a veteran. I live around veterans. I exist in veteran spaces.

So let me be clear when I say: This is not a joke. Even if it’s been made to feel like one.

Donald Trump said he’s replacing Veterans Day — the one day our country sets aside to recognize all who’ve served — with World War I Victory Day. Why? Because, in his words, “we already have too many Holidays in America — There are not enough days left in the year. We were Workers then, and we are Workers now!.”

That alone should tell you everything. But let me give some context:

Veterans Day is November 11 — a date chosen because World War I ended on 11/11 at 11:11. The armistice. That’s the origin of the day. Over time, the U.S. turned that into a day to honor all veterans, not just those who died — that’s what Memorial Day is for.

So why erase it? Why go back to something most Americans don’t even understand anymore? Because it’s not about World War I. It’s about erasing veterans. It’s about removing a day of federal recognition — not for productivity’s sake, but for political optics.

And here’s the thing: Even as a veteran, I never really got the day off. I had to ask for it. Back when I had bosses, I’d say, “Hey, I think I’ll take Veterans Day off,” or I’d try to get off early. Most of the time, I’d work, then grab a free meal if anything was left. And I was fine with that. Because no one owes us anything — but damn, at least let us have the day.

So let me ask: How does this help veterans? How does this help trade? Tariffs? National defense? What does any of this have to do with anything helpful?

And even if you’re a Trump voter — explain it. Explain how erasing Veterans Day honors the people you claim to respect.

You don’t get to drape yourself in the flag and then erase the people who defended it. And you especially don’t get to do that while saying “we have too many celebrations” when we barely celebrate this one anyway.

This is personal to me. I’m not just a veteran — I’m a Black veteran.

And my people fought and died for a country that didn’t even see them as human at the time. Buffalo Soldiers. Tuskegee Airmen. 92nd Infantry. Vietnam. Iraq. Afghanistan. We bled for this place.

And now, we’re being told we get “too many days off”?

Nah.

You’re not erasing us. Not without people like me standing up and saying, “Absolutely not.”

Dwight Williams II is a veteran of the United States Air Force and a military community advocate at Ohio State University. He is also a National Veterans Leadership Foundation Leadership Fellow.