SALEM – Special events, parades and other patriotic gatherings are being planned to honor military veterans throughout Oregon for Veterans Day, Nov. 11.  The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA) has compiled the attached statewide list of events from information provided by communities.
 

Veterans Day was originally established to honor Americans who had served in World War I. The war ended in Europe on Nov. 11, 1918—90 years ago—when the armistice was signed between Germany and the European allies at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The following year, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as Armistice Day. In 1954, Congress voted to rename the federal holiday to Veterans Day in honor of all veterans.

Jim Willis, Director of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs, said Veterans Day remains as a time for all Americans to pause and recognize this country’s veterans, to remember those who died while serving and those we are blessed to have with us.
 
“From the battlefields of World War I to the heat of Iraq and Afghanistan, their stories are part of our history. America rose to greatness on the shoulders of our military veterans,” Willis said. “Each Veterans Day we honor and recognize veterans from all generations. It was these men and women who bore the responsibility of defending freedom and protecting our American way of life. We offer them our respect, our thanks, and our promise that we will never forget their valor and sacrifice,” he added.
 
Events in Oregon vary from patriotic ceremonies and music to parades, including the annual Albany Veterans Day parade on Nov. 11—the largest parade west of the Mississippi River.

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