November marks the beginning of the holiday season with Thanksgiving, but another holiday is celebrated in November where people take the time out to provide Veterans with a memorial service to say thank you.
This year’s Veterans Day Memorial ceremony will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at the Avenue of Flags in Veterans Memorial Park, just off McKinley Street. The Disabled American Veterans Chapter 27 is in charge of providing the service.
“It is a great honor to provide this service to our veterans of the community,” Disabled American Veterans State Commander Cody Helms said. “We want to say thank you for your service to the country and show our respect.”
The honor to provide the service is shared every year among the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3111, American Legion Post 180 and Disabled American Veterans Chapter 27.
History of
Veterans Day
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – 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 eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “The War to End All Wars.”
In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”
Veterans Day schedule
10:30 a.m. — Gather at Veterans Memorial Park
10:40 a.m. — Band Director Mark DeWald
10:45 a.m. — Seating of flags by Veterans Service Organizations Color Guard
• Disabled American Veterans Chapter 27 – Chapter Flag,Lewis Burkes
• Disabled American Veterans Chapter 27 – MIA/POW Flag, Jim Harbour
• American Legion Post 180 – unit flag, Boe Levinston
• American Legion Post 180 Auxiliary – Unit flag, Juanita Dreiling
• Sons of the American Legion 180 – unit flag, Gerald Postlewaite
• American Legion Riders Post 180 – unit flag, Roy Tittsworth
• Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3111 – unit flag, Bert Johnson
• Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3111 Auxiliary – unit flag, Jonathan Nail
• Sons of the American Revolution – Stan Jantz
10:55 — Invocation by DAV Chapter 27 Chaplain Katharine Piper
11 a.m. — U.S. Flag escorted to the center flag pole and presented to Past Department Commander Terry Young by Terry Shepard.
• Star Spangled Banner played by Great Bend High School Band
• Pledge of Allegiance led by Terry Young
• Veterans Day Address delivered by Terry Young
• Rendering Honors — Taps played by Great Bend High School Band
• Benediction by Piper
