Oak Lawn Veterans Day Ceremony Moved Indoors To VFW Post

OAK LAWN, IL — UPDATE: Due to inclement weather, the Village of Oak Lawn's Veterans Day ceremony is being moved indoors to Johnson-Phelps VFW Post 5220 starting at 10:45 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 11.

Veterans, their families and residents are invited to attend the ceremony and thank a vet for their service. The ceremony will be attended by village officials and the Disabled Veterans of America. Invitations have been extended to American Legion Post 757 and the Purple Heart Veterans.

Congresswoman Marie Newman (3rd Illinois District) will be the keynote speaker. The 2021 ceremony also includes remarks by Mayor Terry Vorderer, a Vietnam combat veteran.
Afterward, head over to the Johnson-Phelps VFW Post, 9514 S 52nd Ave. (52nd Avenue and Yourell) for coffee and pastry

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 at the end of World War I.

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.

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, 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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