Veterans Day observation planned for Friday

Local veterans salute during a 2021 Veterans Day program. This year's Veterans Day observance is set for Friday, Nov. 11, at the Union County Courthouse starting at 11 a.m. (News-Times file)
Local veterans salute during a 2021 Veterans Day program. This year's Veterans Day observance is set for Friday, Nov. 11, at the Union County Courthouse starting at 11 a.m. (News-Times file)

The American Legion Post 10 will present a Veterans Day observance ceremony in downtown El Dorado on the holiday, which this year falls on Friday, Nov. 11 .

Jerry Earnest, an officer at Post 10, said the ceremony will be similar to those held in years past, save for one new, special feature.

The ceremony will start at 11 a.m. on the west side of the Union County Courthouse with several bell ringers ringing a bell 11 times "to remember those who are lost," Earnest said. According to the American Legion's official website, the bell ringing honors celebrations that occurred on Armistice Day -- Nov. 11, 1918 -- which signaled the end of World War I.

Members of El Dorado High School's JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps) will present the colors, and after that, Union County Sheriff's deputy Eric Meadows will sing the National Anthem. Members of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter will say a prayer after that.

"Then we're going to have something very special. The auxiliary from Post 10 are going to fold the flag and they're going to explain what every fold means," Earnest said. "That's going to be a real treat for people who have never seen it. I know people have seen them at Arlington (National Cemetery) and military funerals... I think it will be beneficial to everyone who shows up to learn something."

Danny Burke will then deliver the ceremony's keynote address. Earnest said Burke joined the ROTC program at Texas A&M University in 2009 and went on to serve in the U.S. Army up until 2017. A native Texan, Burke now calls El Dorado home and serves as finance officer at Post 10.

"He's a platoon leader and executive officer; he served various functions when he was in the Army and National Guard," Earnest said. "We're proud to have him. He's a wonderful person -- very active and very intelligent."

The ceremony is open to the public.

"We honor all veterans and we welcome all citizens to honor our veterans," Earnest said.

A light lunch at Post 10 will follow the ceremony.

According to the U.S. Veterans Administration, Armistice Day was first recognized in the U.S. in 1926. The first time "Veterans Day" was celebrated in the U.S. was in 1947, when World War II veteran Raymond Weeks organized a National Veterans Day in Alabama. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed that November 11 would thenceforth be Veterans Day.

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