Veterans Day Events Provide Opportunity for Reflection
CLEVELAND, Ohio — When President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as Armistice Day (later to become Veterans Day) in 1919, he intended that occasion marking the end of World War I to be a time for reflection “filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service.”
A variety of opportunities will be provided for that kind of reflection on the days surrounding Veterans Day in Northeast Ohio.
These include:
* Cleveland will present its first Veterans Day parade in recent history on Tuesday, Nov. 11, starting at Mall C, next to City Hall, 601 Lakeside Avenue, at 9:30 a.m. The parade will follow a route to Rockwell Avenue, East Ninth Street, then back to City Hall, ending at 10:30 a.m.
A free breakfast reception will be held in the building’s rotunda at 10 a.m. Guests can RSVP by calling (216) 373-7799, or send an e-mail to infojvocc.org.
A Veterans Day ceremony will follow at 11 a.m., hosted by the city of Cleveland, Joint Veterans Council of Cuyahoga County (JVOCC), Base Cleveland Veterans Committee and Cuyahoga Community College.
Guest speaker will be Command Master Chief Sean Sulski of the U.S. Coast Guard Ninth District. Additionally, the JVOCC will present its “In Service to Veterans and Community Awards” to Dale Dahlke and Bruce Gierson.
* Cuyahoga Community College will be closed on Tuesday and will hold its Veterans Day ceremonies on Monday, at 11 a.m., at the main flagpoles at the eastern campus, 4250 Richmond Road, in Highland Hills, the metropolitan campus, 2900 Community College Avenue, in Cleveland, and at the Veterans Memorial Garden at the western campus.
Ceremonies at the western campus, 11000 Pleasant Valley Road, in Parma, will include presentation of a wreath at the memorial and remarks by James Poling, a veteran of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division who served on three deployments to Afghanistan.
Additionally, at the Tri-C western campus ceremony, Chapter 39 Veterans For Peace will sponsor its seventh annual public readings of “War Letters” and quotes from soldiers and public figures dating from America’s Revolutionary War to the present. The program also will be featured Nov. 11, at the Shaker Heights Main Library, 16500 Van Aken Boulevard, at 7 pm. Both events are free and open to the public.
* Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) will offer a free “Special Campfire Tales — Salute to Veterans” program on Friday, featuring stories of those who served their country. The event will be held from 7-9 p.m. at Ledges Shelter, on Truxell/Kendall Park Road, one mile west of Akron Cleveland Road, in Peninsula.
Additionally the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad will offer a free two-hour train ride on Veterans Day for all active duty military personnel, veterans, and up to three guests. The train will depart from Rockside Station at 3:30 p.m. Seats are based on availability and participants are asked to arrive 30-45 minutes before departure. Military card and/or identification must be shown. Rockside Station is located at 7900 Old Rockside Road, in Independence. For more information visit www.cvsr.com.
* A preview of a third military mural in downtown Amherst will be presented on Veterans Day.
Artist Mike Sekletar already has painted tributes to veterans from World War II with his rendition of the flag-raising at Iwo Jima, and a painting of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., on the side of a downtown office building at 248 Park Avenue.
He will unveil his salute to Korean War veterans during a ceremony Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the municipal parking lot on Park Avenue near the mural building. The new painting will be located between the two other murals on the building.
Featured speaker for the event will be Navy veteran Bob Welsh, author of “Embers from a Storyteller’s Mind.”
Welsh will recite a poem about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during World War II. The cruiser had just delivered the first atomic bomb (later dropped on Hiroshima) to the island of Tinian, and was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine.
Some 300 crewmen died when the ship went down and only 316 of some 900 survivors were still alive when rescued four days later.
The Veterans Day ceremony will also feature a rifle salute by the Amherst Military Honor Guard, and a possible flyover by four T-51 Mustangs.
A lunch for veterans will be held after the ceremony at Amherst VFW Post 1662, 165 Cleveland Avenue.
* The Akron Zoo, 500 Edgewood Avenue, will offer free admission to all military personnel and veterans Saturday-Tuesday. A military ID is required to receive the discount. During this promotion immediate families of military personnel will receive 50 percent off admission.
Zoo hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is normally $7 per person. Children under two are free, and parking is $3. For more information visit www.akronzoo.org or call (330) 375-2550.
* A Veterans Run to help fund a memorial at the Avon/Avon Lake Veterans of Foreign Wars “David F. Schneider” Post 7035, 36950 Mills Road, in Avon, will be held Saturday, at Avon’s Veterans Memorial Park at 9 a.m.
A dedication ceremony for the memorial will be Sunday at Post 36950 from 2-4 p.m. Avon Methodist Church will provide a free meal to veterans. Avon Mayor Brian Jensen will attend, and a family member of the post’s namesake will speak. Schneider was Avon’s first loss in the war in Vietnam.
The memorial includes a walkway leading from the outdoor patio to large flagpoles for military service flags and the U.S. flag. Four benches surround the area where veterans pavers are installed. Pavers of non-service members, individuals, and businesses are placed along the walkway.
* The Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 10701 East Boulevard, will host a Veterans Day open house on Tuesday, from 4-7 p.m. The event offers the opportunity to visit with and thank veterans for their service, and participate in tours of the center.
Also featured will be light refreshments, benefits and eligibility information, and a healthy cooking demonstration. Veterans can have their photograph taken by branch and era of service, to take with them. The Townsmen Orchestra will provide entertainment from 4-6 p.m. in the medical center’s recreation hall.
Parking is available in the patient and visitor garage on Magnolia Drive.
* Crossroads Hospice of Valley View will recognize veterans for their service in three area ceremonies.
On Thursday, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 943 will participate in the Crossroads’ “Honor Our Veterans” recognition campaign at the Carrington Park Nursing Home, 2217 West Avenue, in Ashtabula, at 2 p.m.
On Monday, members of the George E. Hayward VFW Post 9295 will take part in a recognition ceremony at Altercare of Mentor, 9901 Johnnycake Ridge Road, at 2 p.m. Veterans will receive blankets knitted by members of the New Promise Church.
A recognition ceremony also will be held Thursday, Nov. 13, 2:30 p.m. at the Village at Marymount, Villa St. Joseph, 5200 Marymount Village Drive, in Garfield Heights.
* Kent State University will hold its annual Veterans Day observance on Thursday at 11 a.m. on the Student Green at Risman Plaza. The outdoor program, “Honoring All Who Serve,” will include a joint color guard from the Army and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps programs, and remarks by Kent State President Beverly Warren. Guest speaker will be Chief Petty Officer Timothy Flannery.
A reception will follow the program in the Kent Student Center Kiva lobby (location of the program in the event of rain).
* The Cleveland Clinic will host a Veterans Day program on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the Intercontinental Hotel and Conference Center, 9801 Carnegie Avenue. The free event will feature an excerpt from the film documentary “Last Days in Vietnam.”
After the screening, clinic CEO Dr. Toby Cosgove, an Air Force veteran, will host a panel discussion with two of the Vietnam veterans featured in the film — Navy Commander Hugh Doyle, and Marine Col. Gerry Berry. To register for the event, visit ccveteransday.eventbrite.com.
* Lakewood’s annual Veterans Day ceremony will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial in Lakewood Park, 14532 Lake Avenue. Keynote speaker will be Lt. Col. Joseph Meissner, a Vietnam veteran who has served in the Army Reserve since 1969.
The free ceremony will have performances by the Four Vet Quartet and Lakewood High School Band, and a rifle salute by the Joint Veterans Honor Guard. Coffee and doughnuts will be available after the ceremony at the Woman’s Club Pavilion at Lakewood Park.
* Hospice of the Western Reserve will host two Veterans Recognition Ceremonies, available to all veterans, free of charge, whether or not they have any affiliation with hospice.
Vets will be recognized on Sunday at 10 a.m. at Jewish Family Services, 750 White Pond Drive, in Akron. Register by calling Jewish Family Services at (330) 867-3388.
A Wednesday, Nov. 12, event will be held at Cleveland Heights Senior Center, 1 Monticello Boulevard. Registration is required by Thursday. Call 216-691-7379.
* On Tuesday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will offer free admission to military veterans and $5 off a general admission ticket (before tax) to their spouses. To redeem this offer, veterans and their spouses should visit the box office on Veterans Day and present their military ID or proof of military service. Hours are 10 a.m. 5:30 p.m.
Tags: Veterans News
