Veterans Day In Winnetka: How To Honor Military Personnel

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

The New Trier Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4831 is hosting a Veterans Day ceremony at 5 p.m. at the Winnetka Community House.

The presentation, organized in partnership with the Community House, the Wilmette Park District, the Winnetka Club and Boy Scout Troops Nos. 18 and 20, will honor Sam Badger and his friendship with Franklin Dunbaugh.

Badger was awarded a Silver Star for Conspicuous Gallantry in the Korean War. Dunbaugh died in 1952 in the conflict.

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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