Veterans Day In Wilmette: How To Honor Military Personnel

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

American Legion Post 46 is hosting a 2021 Veterans Day ceremony at Veterans Park, on Central Avenue between Wilmette Avenue and 11th Street.

The event is set to begin at 10:30 a.m. and feature the Wilmette Police Department's honor guard and rifle squad and a Wilmette Fire Department ladder with a large flag, according to organizers.

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.

In Wilmette, Veterans Day this year will not have no effect on refuse, recycling or yard waste collection schedules.

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