Today we pause to honor the sacrifices of the men and women who have served in our nation’s armed services. Veterans Day is celebrated each Nov. 11th. That’s the date in 1918 on which fighting between the Allied Nations and Germany stopped, marking the unofficial end of World War I. The following year President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11th Armistice Day. That celebration evolved into Veterans Day after World War II. Continue reading
Veterans Day is Monday, Nov. 11, and while many offices will be closed including government buildings, banks and others, some offices will remain open to conduct business. In Starke County, all government offices will be closed on Veterans Day. In Pulaski County, however, the building department will remain open from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. while other county offices are closed for the day.
Schools across the nation held Veterans Day programs today, and Knox Community Schools were no different. Following the presentation of colors by the Knox VFW Post 748 and the Pledge of Allegiance led by middle school student Mariah McKee, a special guest speaker addressed the crowd.
Recently-returned U.S. Army National Guard Sergeant Tim Watts spoke to the gathered students about his call to duty for the military and what Veterans Day means to him. He explained that his time in the military consisted of some of the hardest times of his life but he knew it was his duty to protect and serve his country.
A Starke County Veterans Day parade was held yesterday in downtown Knox. Several members of the Knox VFW Post #748 and the American Legion attended the ceremonies and were part of the parade. Travis Flora, a veteran of the Somalian War talked during yesterday’s program.
“I went to Somalia in December of 1992 and came back in May of 1993,” said Flora. “Of course it’s a third world country so it’s not a pleasant experience. The most important experience I think is the camaraderie I had with my fellow Marines and the spirit of the corps that we had. We went a long time without a hot meal and sleeping on cots and things like that, but in the end we figured this just made us better people.”
All Bureau of Motor Vehicle branches will be closed Saturday, Nov. 10 through Monday, Nov. 12 in observance of the Veterans Day holiday.
The myBMV.com website and all automated phone services will also be out of service from 2 a.m. Saturday to noon ET on Sunday.
Sixteen branches will be closed that are normally open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday. The following area branches will reopen on Wednesday, Nov. 14: Knox, Demotte, Monticello and Nappanee.
Veteran’s Day is Sunday, Nov. 11 and several schools and community organizations are planning events surrounding the observance of the national holiday to honor those who have served in all branches of the military.
The third annual Starke County Veterans Parade will be Sunday, Nov. 11 at 12:30 p.m. and will begin at the intersection of Redskin Trail and Main Street and continue down Main Street to the Starke County Courthouse. A ceremony will be held in front of the War Memorials where Somalia War Zone veteran and Knox High School Teacher Travis Flora will speak.
Veteran’s Day programs were held in communities and schools throughout the Kankakee Valley area today. At Knox, Travis Flora, a United States Marine veteran spoke to the assembled students at the high school and middle school using the theme, “Freedom Isn’t Free.” Following the presentation, Flora told what Veteran’s Day means to him.
“Veteran’s Day is a time where we pause and reflect and thank those millions of people who have come before us and those millions of people who are currently serving and defending our way of life,” said Flora. “I would like those students to realize that within every veteran there’s a story and that they should ask those veterans their story. They may not hear what they want to hear but in the end, if they listen, they’ll have a better understanding of what a veteran is. When you see that sign outside of the VFW that reads ‘Freedom is not Free’, they should realize that our freedom has been bought and paid for by people who have signed their name on the dotted line and sacrificed.”
Congressman Joe Donnelly works with Veterans Affairs and on this Veteran’s Day, he tells us what his focus is for our Veterans.
“My focus has been on trying to make sure in the District that we’ve been having sufficient Veteran oriented activities throughout the week,” said Donnelly. “When you look at it, our Veterans are the ones who gave us our freedom, who gave us our country and we’re extraordinarily indebted to them.”
After 44 years of searching, the remains of Samuel Hewitt, a 1965 Oregon-Davis graduate, were found near a military base near Da Nang, Vietnam in September of this year. Hewitt was a United States Marine stationed at a base near Da Nang when he suddenly came up missing. That was on March 22nd of 1966. Until his skeleton was unearthed and identified he had not been heard from since that date.
Hewitt served outside Da Nang with the 3rd Battalion of the 9th Division Marines, assigned to night patrols and scouting missions. His sister feels that when Hewitt was out on night patrol, he was shot and killed.
Members of the Knox VFW and the American Legion laid wreaths at the War Memorial at the Starke County Courthouse. Organizer, Terry Turner, says this is a part of the national Wreaths Across America program.
