By CRS Guest Blogger, Vince Salazar, CRS Customer Care Specialist
Originally, Veterans Day was called “Armistice Day,”
and the date was chosen to commemorate the signing of the armistice with Germany that ended hostilities during World War I.
Many observe Veterans Day by simply flying the U.S. flag at their house, having a picnic or cook out with friends and family, and watching war movies or other patriotic programming on TV. Many also donate to veterans’ causes and show appreciation to veterans they meet or are already acquainted with, and some veterans will donate their military uniforms on this day, making themselves “easy to spot.”
Four ideas on what to do in the U.S. on Veterans Day are:
- Attend, or at least watch on television, the Veterans Day commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA. You can watch the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. You may also wish to respectfully walk through the cemetery, where over 40,000 veterans and their families are buried.
- Watch America’s Parade, originally “the Veterans Day Parade,” in New York City. This is the largest Veterans Day parade in the country, bringing in around 25,000 attendees each year. It is held in Manhattan and has been running since 1919. There are also some other large parades to attend, including the biggest one west of the Mississippi River in Albany, Oregon, and there are many smaller parades as well.
- Tour the memorials and monuments in Washington, D.C., that are related in some way to veterans. There are too many to list, but look for the DC War Memorial, which honors local World War I veterans, the National World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
- Spend the day, or part of it, volunteering at a local VA hospital or even just chatting with veterans who are there as patients. Many VAs will have special lunches on Veterans Day for the veterans, and they welcome volunteers to help prepare the meal.
Veterans Day is an important time to remember those who risked their lives to defend the freedom of others, and you will find there are many festive and patriotic activities to take part.
On this day of remembrance, we would like to acknowledge and thank our CRS employees who have proudly served our country: Acacia Oudinot, Vince Salazar, Lionel Jerry, Richard Macias, Mindy Campbell and Dennis Allen.
About the writer, Vince Salazar
Born in Michigan (Go LIONS)
Served in the US Army Band between 1980-1986
Forged a career on stage as an actor, singer, dancer and musician ~ performing in over 200 major theatre touring companies over 20 years.
Headlined the show LEGENDS IN CONCERT in Las Vegas for over 10 years doing the Blues Brothers.
Recovered from a head-on car accident (left me in a wheel chair for over 2 years), and recently survived cancer.
