Veterans Day In Northbrook: How To Honor Military Personnel

NORTHBROOK, IL — American Legion Post 791 will hold a Veterans Day community ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 11, at Northbrook Junior High. Veterans and their guests will participate in the special 30-minute program at the school that will be closed to the public.

Residents can view the ceremony live on the “NorthbrookDistrict28Music” YouTube channel.

Northbrook Junior High has hosted the Northbrook American Legion Veterans Day ceremony for so many years that it has become a tradition, both for students who perform and the guests who attend, according to school officials.

Jim Ossey, the commander of the George W. Benjamin American Legion Post 791, will welcome honored guest speaker retired Lt. Col. Ryan Yantis, founder and president of SilverLeaf Leadership Communication.

This year, the Northbrook Junior High Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra will perform as part of the ceremony. The ceremony will conclude at 11 a.m. with a rifle salute at the flag pole on the grounds of Northbrook Junior High and Taps performed by Music Director Doug Schuler.

The community is invited to watch the ceremony via the live stream on the NorthbrookDistrict28Music YouTube Channel. A link to the channel is posted on the district’s home page, www.northbrook28.net.

POST OFFICE AND BANKS CLOSED

The post office and most banks will be closed in Northbrook 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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