The the community will come together Tuesday to pay tribute to the men and women who fought for this nation as they celebrate Veterans Day 2014.
Great Bend Regional Hospital will host its fourth-annual veterans breakfast from 6-8:30 a.m.
The observance will shift to Great Bend High School where there will be an assembly to honor veterans at the high school gym at 9 a.m. The students have prepared musical numbers and other individuals have sprepared for this event.
“We are trying to teach our students the importance of serving their country and the importance of showing respect to those who have served,” said GBHS math teacher Tina Hiss. “The assembly will be more meaningful if there are actual veterans in the audience to honor.”
Then, the observance will move to Veterans Memorial Park on McKinley Street for the traditional ceremony.
Veterans and guests will begin to meet at 10:30 a.m. at the Avenue of Flags, serenaded with patriotic music performed by the GBHS band under the direction of Mark DeWald. There will also be a folded U.S. flag presentation as Cody Helms, Commander of Great Bend Chapter 27 Disabled American Veterans, receives the flag from 95-year-old Lonnie Wright, a disabled American veteran, World War II Army Air Corps vet, Silver Star recipient and Pearl Harbor Survivor.
Then, there will be the posting of the American,POW/MIAand Kansas flags at 10:55 by the Color Guard, featuring Lewis Burkes and Jim Harbour of Disabled American Veterans Chapter 27, David Krallman of the American Legion Post 180, Norma Titsworth of the American Legion Auxiliary Post 180, Gerald Postlethwaite of the Sons of American Legion Post 180, Chris Krueger of the American Legion Riders Post 180, John Johnson of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3111 and Diane Morse of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary 3111.
The GBHS band will play the National Anthem and, at 11 a.m., the Pledge of Allegiance will start ceremony.
The Rev. Dick Ogle will give the invocation and DAV representative Terry Young will give the address entitled “All gave some, some gave all.” The DAV is sponsoring this year’s event.
Next, veterans who have died will be honored, a 21-gun salute will take place, GBHS band member Ben Diel will play taps, and yellow and black balloons will be released, honoring all veterans who have served and/or are now serving our country, especially those who have lost their lives and those who are missing in action or prisoners of war.
Kevin Lockwood and his rifle squad from the World War II 4th Armored re-enactment unit will also be on hand.
World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of the war.
This is why Armistice Day, which later became Veterans Day, is held on Nov. 11, and most ceremonies take place at 11 a.m.