November 11 is set aside to honor those who protect and defend our country. Veterans day pays tribute to all American veterans – living and dead – in a day to personally thank living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.
Campbell County will be honoring local heroes through several events scheduled Thursday in Gillette. Some media outlets reported the parade as being cancelled because of the pandemic but it is taking place with an anticipated large crowd along its traditional route, starting at the corner of 4-J Road and 2nd Street and ending at Osborne Avenue.
“We dedicate the day to our veterans and have a lot of things planned to show them our appreciation,” said Buddy Langone, past commander at American Legion Post 42. “Anyone and everyone is invited to join us placing flags at the graves of our veterans and everything we have going on (Thursday).”
Langone said everyone up early enough is invited to join him and others in placing and picking up nearly 1,000 flags at local cemeteries, beginning around 7 a.m. at Mt. Pisgah Cemetery.
The community is invited to eat a free breakfast with veterans at the American Legion at 8 a.m. For the second year, Kiwanis will be on hand giving tickets to every veteran, of which three will be drawn at a dinner reception later in the day for a gun, a cooler and a necklace.
“Kiwanis did that for our veterans for the first-time last year,” Langone said. “It was so popular that they are bringing it back, so we invite all our local veterans to join us for breakfast and get their tickets”
Note: All Gillette and Wright city offices will be closed in observance of Veterans Day. The animal shelter and yard waste drop-off facility will also be closed. Solid waste will run a double rout on Friday, Nov. 12 to pick up curbside yard waste and recycling.
Why November 11?
The date marks when Germany and the Allies signed a 1918 agreement to end war hostilities. The fighting ceased on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, marking the end of the war to end all wars, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.,
Since then, the holiday commemorates veterans of all branches and all wars.
Originally, the day was known as Armistice Day and was celebrated as such every year for 35 years until, in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower changed the name to Veterans Day that we honor today.
For history buffs, the day was briefly changed five decades ago when Congress moved the holiday to the last Monday of October in 1971. Four years later in 1975 President Gerald Ford returned Veterans Day back to Nov. 11 because of the historical significance of that precise date in our history.
Note: All Gillette and Wright city offices will be closed in observance of Veterans Day. The animal shelter and yard waste drop-off facility will also be closed. Solid waste will run a double route on Friday, Nov. 12 to pick up curbside yard waste and recycling.
