Veterans, today is your day! Happy Veterans Day!
Today Dexter will join communities throughout America in saying 'thank you' to veterans and pay tribute to generations of veterans for the service, sacrifice, and dedication to our nation.
At 9:30 this morning the community observance will be held at the Bearcat Event Center. This program is a new addition to the community's observance, will include all the students in Dexter schools, and takes the place of the tradition parade in Downtown Dexter.
The Missouri State Veterans Cemetery south of Bloomfield will hold its annual Veterans Day Program at 1 p.m. today on the cemetery grounds.
Guest speaker is Ross Gartman, president and founder of the non-profit Heroes Way Organization. Gartman's organization was founded in 2008 following the death of his friend and fellow soldier, Brad Skelton, in Baghdad, Iraq.
But why does this holiday land on November 11? The idea of honoring US soldiers in November reaches back to the First World War, though we didn't call it Veterans Day back then.
American troops made significant headway in 1918, rebuffing a German offensive along the western front and moving Allied forces deeper into enemy territory. By November, Germany had had enough. It agreed to a cease-fire, signing the official armistice . On the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month," as the saying goes, the world knew peace once again.
The "War to End All Wars" had ended. For the next 36 years, America remembered November 11 as Armistice Day.
However, as we all know, war broke out again in 1939. A new generation of Americans risked their lives in World War II and the Korean War. By 1954, the name Armistice Day didn't sound right anymore. The scope felt too narrow. So Congress swapped out "Armistice" in favor of a word that could honor all of America's veterans, and Veterans Day was born.
But remember Armistice Day this year. Why? For the first time, this holiday has landed on the eleventh day of the eleventh month – of the eleventh year. That's right, 11-11-11.
Friday, Nov. 11 is a Federal and Missouri State holiday, which means most government offices and area financial institutions will be closed Friday, Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day.
Dexter City administrative and department offices will be closed. There will be no bulk trash pick-up on Friday, and banks in town will be closed to mark the special day.
