Veterans Day will be celebrated across America on Monday, November 11, with parades and special events. This day was formerly called Armistice Day for the treaty that ended World War I. Major hostilities in that war ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1916 when the armistice with Germany began. The day was officially changed to Veterans Day in 1954 and remains a federal holiday to this day.
The difference between Veterans and Memorial Day is that while the former honors all who served in the U.S. military, the latter remembers those who gave the ultimate sacrifice of their lives.
The stories of our local veterans can be heard in every corner of Vernon Parish. Families that have roots here for decades are filled with veterans. Soldiers who passed through Ft. Polk and stayed in the area now have their own roots here.
This community has been my home for the last 40-plus years. I am the child of a 25-year USAF veteran. What an honor it has been for me to meet our local soldiers and veterans. I have run into them in all walks of Vernon Parish life: active duty, retired, business owners, and elected officials.
The relationship between Vernon Parish and our veterans has always been strong. They are an essential fabric to life in a military town. They give us depth and a new way of looking at things. We can only hope our actions speak a loud THANKS to veterans. Say thanks to an old soldier today, and please attend the ceremony for all veterans at 11 a.m. on Monday at the Vernon Veterans Memorial Park. The park is in downtown Leesville, across from the post office. That’s 11 a.m. sharp, soldier!! Get it? Got it? Good!!