MOUNT VERNON — A Veterans Day ceremony will be held Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. on Public Square.
Retired US Army Maj. John van Kan will deliver the keynote address. Lt. Col. Chris Salvucci, US Air Force retired, will present the welcome.
JROTC cadets from the Knox County Career Center will post the colors. The ceremony also includes commemorative wreaths, music by the Mount Vernon High School band, and a rifle salute by the Knox County Joint Veterans Council.
Veterans Day, originally called Armistice Day, honors America’s veterans for their patriotism and willingness to serve and sacrifice.
World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 29, 1919. However, the fighting between the Allied nations and Germany stopped when an armistice went into effect on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour.
The U.S. first observed Armistice Day in 1919. In his proclamation, President Woodrow Wilson said, “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…”
The U.S. Congress officially recognized Armistice Day as a legal holiday in 1938. In 1954, following World War II and the Korean War, Congress struck the term “Armistice” and replaced it with “Veterans,” thus honoring veterans of all wars.
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