Published: November 01, 2009 05:24 pm      

Services to honor veterans

By TESA CULLI

tesa.culli@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — There will be opportunities throughout Jefferson County on Nov. 11 to honor and thank our veterans.

The annual Mt. Vernon Memorial VFW Post 9233 will host its 18th annual Veterans Day Program at Times Square Mall, a service will be held at the Veterans Memorial of Woodlawn and the annual Veterans Day Parade will be held in Woodlawn.

The VFW program will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Veterans Day at Times Square Mall. The program will commemorate the signing of the Armistice ending World War I on the 11th month, the 11 day and the 11th hour with the striking of the bells, followed by a moment of silence and then a roll call of those members of the post who have passed away since the post was chartered on April 8, 1992.

The memorial service goes hand-in-hand with the post annual Buddy Poppy Program. Buddy Poppies will be for sale at various locations on Nov. 7. The poppy has been adopted as the official memorial flower of the VFW after the famous poem, “In Flanders Fields,” written by Col. John McCrae and describes the red poppies blowing among the battleground of the fallen after World War I.

The Veterans Memorial of Woodlawn will also host a service on Veterans Day at 11 a.m. The speakers for the service will be Lt. Col. R.D. White, U.S. Army ret., and Maj. Troy Poorman, U.S. Air Force Reserve. A presentation of the colors will be conducted by American Legion Post 141, under the direction of Ernie Collins, the honor guard chaplain. Taps will be played by Bret Collins, and the National Anthem will be sung by Mike Launay. The Woodlawn Veterans Committee chaplain, Ralph Swarthout will say the invocation and the benediction for the services. In case of rain, the services will be held inside the Woodlawn Village Hall.

Another annual Veterans Day event which will be held is the Waltonville Veterans Day Parade. Floats and parade participants are asked to begin lineup at the VFW Hall in Waltonville, and the parade will start at 10 a.m. and end at the high school, were a brief service will be held. Free chili will be served at the VFW Hall after the parade.

Additional information about the Waltonville Veterans Day Parade is available by contacting Wesley Green at 279-3217, Joe Norris at 279-7262 or George Gifford at 279-3216.