Veterans Day In Lamorinda: How To Honor Military Personnel

LAMORINDA, CA — The post office and most banks will be closed in Lamorinda on Thursday in observance of Veterans Day, a federal holiday that honors veterans of the U.S. armed forces.

A ceremony will be held at Moraga Commons Veterans Memorial at 9 a.m. It will include speakers and refreshments.

The East Bay Regional Park District will honor active and retired military members on Veterans Day with free parking and park entry at all regional parks. Local parks include:

• Briones Regional Park
• Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail
• Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
• Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Area
• Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park
• Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve
• Tilden Regional Park - Botanic Garden

Veterans Day, commemorated annually on Nov. 11, was first celebrated in 1919 to honor those who fought in World War I. It was initially called Armistice Day and was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

The holiday’s origin is tied to the armistice, a temporary end of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany signed in France on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

It became Veterans Day in 1954, shortly following the end of the Korean War and less than a decade after World War II, after various veterans service organizations urged Congress to encompass veterans of all wars in their honor.

Restaurants and other businesses will continue to show their appreciation for veterans and active-military members.

• Where Vets & Military Can Eat Free On Veterans Day 2021