Events Honor Veterans, Their Service

Events Honor Veterans, Their Service

Soldiers in the honor guard.
Photo by: U.S. Army/Staff Sgt. William Frye

Several events honoring America’s veterans are scheduled for Nov. 11 in and around Washington, D.C.

Here’s a look at some key Veterans Day events and how to participate.

At 9 a.m., a ceremony at the National World War II Memorial will honor the more than 16 million men and women who served during World War II.

Hosted by the Friends of the National World War II Memorial, the event will feature World War II veterans who will place wreaths at the memorial’s Freedom Wall in remembrance of the more than 400,000 Americans and 60 million people killed worldwide during the deadliest military conflict in human history.

For more information or to register to attend, click here.

The 69th annual National Veterans Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery will begin at 11 a.m. The U.S Army Military District of Washington will conduct a Presidential Armed Forces Full Honor Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by an observance program in the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater.

Vice President Kamala Harris will lay the wreath, while Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough will host the observance program.

The wreath-laying ceremony is open to official participants only, while the observance program is on a first-come, first-served basis. The events also will be live streamed here.

For more information, click here.

In the afternoon, beginning at 1 p.m., the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will host a special Veterans Day Observance at the Wall. The ceremony will not just honor those who served, it also marks the 40th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the nation’s capital.

Visitors can attend the ceremony or view it online on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Facebook page or its website at VVMF.org. For more information or to register, click here.

At 3 p.m., the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation will host a ceremony and wreath presentation at the Korean War Veterans Memorial to honor those who served in that war.

This is the first Veterans Day ceremony there since the memorial was renovated to include a new Wall of Remembrance with more than 43,000 names of the fallen.

For more information or to participate, click here.

Throughout the weekend, the National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, will host several events for veterans and their families. To see the schedule, click here.

If you don’t live in the Washington, D.C., area, the VA has a list of Veterans Day observances and events scheduled across the country. See the list here.