Veterans Days ceremonies scheduled in Littleton, Fort Logan

There will be two local ceremonies honoring the men and women who have served in the country’s military services at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11. One of the ceremonies will be at the Littleton World War II memorial at Ketring Park, 6000 S. Gallup St., and there will be a separate ceremony at Fort Logan National Cemetery, 3698 S. Sheridan Blvd

The Littleton observance is sponsored by Pat Hannon Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4666 and George C. Evans American Legion Post 103.

Jack Woodman will give the keynote address at the war memorial. Also, the ceremonies will include the laying of flowers at the memorial, a 21-gun salute by the All Veterans Honor Guard and a bugler playing taps.

The ceremonies at Fort Logan National Cemetery are sponsored annually by District 10, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the VFW Ladies Auxiliary and are held in the open area adjacent to the lake and at the base of the main flagpole. There will be a VFW honor guard representing many of the metro area posts to present the colors as well as the flags from their posts.

Veterans Day speakers at Fort Logan include U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora; Christopher Petty, Colorado Army National Guard chief of staff; and Lucentia McClenney, director of the minority veterans center for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The event including laying of a ceremonial wreath and flowers at a symbolic headstone, followed by the traditional 21-gun salute by an military honor guard before an echo version of Taps will be played by dozens of horn players stationed around the lake.

When the Fort Logan ceremony ends, lunch will be served at Verle Huffman VFW Post 9644, 2680 W. Hampden Ave.

Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day and Armistice Day was held for the first time to remember the event that ended the World War I and honor those who served.

In 1938, it was declared a national holiday. In its early history, Armistice Day was focused on honoring World War I veterans. In the early 1950s, Congressman Edwin Rees of Kansas proposed changing the name of the holiday to Veterans Day and making it a time to honor all those who served in the armed forces. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill, making Nov. 11 Veterans Day.