Veterans Day In Deerfield: How To Honor Military Personnel

DEERFIELD, IL — A Veterans Day special event is planned for Thursday, Nov. 11, in Deerfield. "The Story of the Gettysburg Address" with President and Mrs. Lincoln will be held from 2-3 p.m. at the Patty Turner Center, 375 Elm St.

The event is free for veterans. The cost is $5 for members and $8 for non-members.

Join President and Mrs. Lincoln as they appear in-person to share their story and historical events leading up to the Gettysburg Address. Learn more of the historical battle, the lives the Lincolns led during that time, and the speech President Lincoln would deliver during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Find out more here about this Deerfield Park District event.

The post office and most banks will be closed in Deerfield 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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