ABOVE: The Vermilion County Joint Veterans Council will be having their annual Veterans Day ceremony at 11 AM; Saturday morning November 11th; at the Middle East Conflict Memorial at Hazel and Williams.
The Middle East Conflict Memorial on the northeast corner of Hazel and Williams will be the location for the Vermilion County Joint Veterans Council’s Saturday morning Veterans Day Ceremony at 11 AM. American Legion Post 210 Past Commander Dave Morris says, this will be a team effort.
AUDIO: We’ve got a chaplain coming to give the benediction and a prayer. We’ve got a gentleman from the prison coming in that’s an Iraqi Veteran, and he’s going to be the emcee for the event. Our Honor Guard, the American Legion Post 210’s Honor Guard, will do the honors for the ceremony.
Chili will be served, free for Veterans and free will donations from the community, at American Legion Post 210 starting at Noon on Veterans Day. Serving will last until 7 PM, or until they run out.
The featured speaker will be Vermilion County Coroner Jane McFadden, who served overseas in Germany in the United States Army doing Electronic Warefare Signal Intelligence for the Military Intelligence Core. She’ll be talking about women in the military; with the progress made up to this date, and going back to Harriet Tubman and Mary Walker serving as nurses during the Civil War.
AUDIO: Also, soldiers who were disguised as men, served. So, women entered the military academies for the first time in the 1970s. At that time, they were only allowed to fly combat missions or serve on Navy combat ships. There’s a lot still to accomplish as far as gender equality in the military. We have come a long way, though.
While lots of American Legion Post 210 members will be there for the ceremony, others will be preparing to serve chili to Veterans and the community starting at Noon. Free for Veterans, donations certainly welcome from others. Current Commander Bob Balla explains.
AUDIO: It’ll be a free will donation, of course. And we’ll probably run a 50-50 raffle. So we’re here just to honor and remember all the Veterans that served their life, and gave up part of their life, to the American people.
Saturday’s chili at American Legion Post 210 along Jackson Street will be served from Noon to 7 PM, or as along as the chilli’s hot and available.
