FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, November 02, 2020
Media Contact: Eric Stadler – 920.450.6907 or estadler@trustwf.com
APPLETON, WI – The annual Outagamie County Veterans Day Ceremony hosted by the Fox Valley Veterans Council will occur on Wednesday, November 11, 2020, at 11:00 AM. While the concerns and awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic prevail so does the need to honor our United States veterans.
The 2020 ceremony will take place at St. Mary Catholic Church (312 S. State St., in Appleton, WI). This large venue allows for proper social distancing. There will be a maximum number of seventy people allowed inside the church. These individuals will consist mainly of ceremony participants and leadership representatives from the local veteran service organizations. All individuals present will be required to have their temperature checked prior to entering the building and will be required to wear a proper face covering.
Unlike past years the public will not be allowed to attend the ceremony in-person; however, in an effort to welcome everyone in the community and beyond to still witness the ceremony safely it will be live-streamed by WFRV Local 5 TV, and can be viewed at www.WFRV.com, and on the following Facebook pages: Fox Valley Veterans Council, Outagamie County Executive – Tom Nelson, Scarlet Guard Color Guard, and WFRV Local 5. The ceremony will consist of traditional elements including the presentation of the colors (by the Scarlet Guard American Legion Color Guard), the singing of the National Anthem, the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, a keynote speaker, music (featuring the It’s About Time Quartet and Bagpiper Ann Norman), a rifle salute and the playing of Taps (by the Little Chute American Legion Post 258).
Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans, that is, persons who have served in the United States Armed Forces (and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable). It coincides with other holidays including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day which are celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. At the urging of major U.S. veteran organizations, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. Veterans Day is distinct from Memorial Day, a U.S. public holiday in May. Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day honors those who had died while in military service. Another military holiday that also occurs in May, Armed Forces Day, honors those currently serving in the U.S. military. Additionally, Women Veterans Day is recognized by a growing number of U.S. states that specifically honors women who have served in the U.S. military. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day