Veterans Day events planned in St. Charles County
Post-Dispatch reporter Joel Currier also contributed to this report.
The public is invited to observe Veterans Day at several upcoming events.
Veterans George Mason (from left), Bob Brewer and Bob Englehart, members of the honor guard from American Legion Post 388, at a 2005 Veterans Day ceremony in O'Fallon. | Huy Richard Mach, Post-Dispatch
St. Peters
St. Peters City Hall and the city’s Community & Arts Center will be closed on Wednesday. All other St. Peters facilities will be open.
The city will host a ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday (Nov. 7), featuring the dedication of a new artillery piece at the Veterans Memorial at City Centre Park. Former Veterans Memorial Commission Chairman Bill Rupp will be honored for his service in World War II, his work as chairman of the St. Peters Veterans Commission and his service to the community.
Robert Panke and radio personality Paul Arca, both Vietnam veterans, will speak.
The St. Peters Veterans Memorial is located in front of St. Peters City Hall at Mexico Road and St. Peters Centre Boulevard.
St. Charles
An 11 a.m. ceremony Wednesday at Bishop’s Landing will feature performances by the St. Charles City Municipal Band. John Torrisi, of the St. Charles City Veterans Commission, will be master of ceremonies. City Councilman Ron Stivison, County Executive Steve Ehlmann and U.S. Rep. Todd Akin will speak. Retired Navy Rear Adm. Jack Zerr will give the keynote address.
American Legion Post 312, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2866, Korean War Veterans Association Chapter 6 and bagpipers Jay and Lucinda Goetz also will participate.
Bishop’s Landing is located next to the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center, 1050 Riverside Drive.
O’Fallon, Mo.
A ceremony on Wednesday will showcase middle school students from Fort Zumwalt North Middle School. The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. at the O’Fallon Veterans Memorial Walk at 800 Belleau Creek Road.
Councilman Bill Gardner will emcee the O’Fallon event. Students from the North Middle School band will be guest speakers and provide music. Other participants include Mayor Bill Hennessy, the American Heritage Girls Troop 3130, the American Legion Post 388 and the VFW Post 5077 Ladies Auxillary.
For more information, call the O’Fallon Veterans Commission’s information line at 636-379-5490.
Other events
The Patt Holt Singers will host a Tribute to Veterans Dinner and Show on Sunday at the St. Peters Parish Rec Center, First Capitol Drive and Third Street, in St. Charles.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m. Dinner will be served from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. The “Swinging at the U.S.O.” show begins at 6 p.m.
Tickets are $16 per person. Active military members in uniform can attend for free. Reservations are required. A cash bar will be available.
Call 636-947-0120 for more information.
If anyone knows of other events or ceremonies, please post below or e-mail me with details at santhony@post-dispatch.com.
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I wonder who the Pilot was. Back in my High School days my history teacher had that honor once.
More events need to be scheduled on a Sat. or Sun. to increase the attendance. These are the people who made our freedoms possible and sustained. (they get little to no backing by the media)
If anyone took the time to go Downtown STL this Saturday, they would have been ashamed by the turn out and the parade in general.
To honor those that gave some and some that gave all, it was a shame!
I guess the Citizenery, was too busy raking leaves, or watching football, or getting their hair done, or protesting something real important like “do not buy these dogs” or Ban smoking, or taking their boys to ballet lessons in the County, and the money spent for this parade? WOW, I have not doubt there is triple the money spent on kickbacks at political dinners.
Many have ribbons saying support the troops, but this is simply the in thing and very few appreciate what it means.
I will be taking the day off work tomorrow to attend the Veterans Day Ceremony at my Son’s school as I do every year. I am sure that I will be accompanied by my fellow Veterans as always with very few if any non-vets. You know, I served in the Navy for 11 years, during 2 wars. I spent 3 years of my service on the Honor Guard, rendering services at funerals and Memorials. I cannot count the number of shots I have fired in honor of fallen Veterans. I cannot count the flags that I have folded and handed to family members who lost their loved ones. What I can count is the number of days I have not flown the American Flag. That number my friends would be zero (even when I had resistance from my neighborhood association). It is so painful to see so many people take their rights for granted. Is it too much to take an hour or two a year to remember and say thanks? Do as you will, it is your right, that I and many like me served to protect. I will attend my ceremonies tomorrow, with my fellow Veterans by my side. I will not patronize any business tomorrow for I feel they all should be closed in observance. My heart will be filled with pride and my eyes filled with tears. I hope to see you all do the same, but if you don’t, that is your right which I would gladly serve to protect again.