Veterans Day In Aurora: How To Celebrate And Honor Troops

AURORA, IL — Veterans Day is Thursday, and in Aurora, the men and women who have served the United States will be honored at the annual Aurora Veterans Day Parade, starting at 10:15 a.m.

The parade will take off at the intersection of Benton Street and Broadway Avenue and it'll end at GAR Memorial Hall, 23 E. Downer Place, where veterans, parade participants and guests can gather for a tribute ceremony.

A group of women veterans will lead this year's parade in honor of the 35th anniversary of Public Law 610, a bill signed in 1986 that authorized the establishment of the Military Women's Memorial in Washington, D.C. Cecilia Lopez Leyva, the mother of Marine Corporal Sara Medina, will represent her daughter in the Grand Marshal's unit. Medina, an East Aurora High School grad, was killed in 2015 while on duty in Nepal, India.

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State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, Aurora officials, public safety officers and business owners will also be among the veterans leading the parade.

There are also other ways to celebrate the holiday and honor military personnel in Aurora. West Aurora High School is holding its annual assembly for veterans Wednesday. The hour-long event will start at 1:47 p.m. in the school's main gym, at 1201 W. New York St.

On Friday, the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry will honor Fox Valley veterans with a food giveaway. Taking place from 10 a.m. to noon at the pantry, located at 1110 Jericho Road, all past and current military families are invited to the free food distribution "as a token of gratitude for their service to our country," Pantry Executive Director Shannon Cameron said in a statement.

RELATED: Annual Veterans Assembly Returns To West Aurora High School

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

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.

While some ceremonies, parades and services may be canceled or altered as the coronavirus pandemic continues, restaurants and other businesses will continue to show their appreciation for veterans and active military members.

Applebee’s, Bob Evans and Chili’s Grill and Bar are among the national restaurant chains offering free or discounted meals for veterans on Nov. 11, and 7-Eleven is offering a free cup of coffee or Big Gulp.

Other places, such as Golden Corral and Eat'n Park, have offers extended throughout November.

Veterans Day is somewhat related to, and sometimes mistaken for, Memorial Day, the federal holiday on the final Monday of May that is dedicated to those who have died while serving the United States.

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