The most beautiful thing about Veterans Day, according to Batavia VFW and Auxiliary Post 1197 Commander Jeff Swanson, is that it’s a day to celebrate every single person who served in the U.S. military, because they signed up to “defend America’s freedoms and liberties.”
“America and our democracy require men and women to take a step forward and say ‘This is worth protecting, this is worth fighting for and if I have to, this is worth dying for,’” Swanson said. “Veterans Day is a day we can thank every single vet for taking that step forward. We get to do what we’re able to do today because of the veterans who protected our freedom. We enjoy the life we choose in large part thanks to our veterans who fight to maintain our democracy.”
The Batavia VFW will be celebrating all veterans in a ceremony at 10:45 a.m. Thursday at the Post, 645 S. River St., Batavia. The event is open to the public.
The Batavia Community Band will play the National Anthem and patriotic music at the Veterans Day event.
“On a day when we’re focused on veterans, it’s a great time for Americans to take a moment of pause and think about the selflessness of that young man or woman who took that step forward and served. And to say thank you to all veterans,” Swanson said. “We have the strongest military because of the people who are in the military. It’s not about the war hero, not about the solider who fought in a battle, it’s about the solider who had that act of bravery to say ‘I’m going to serve.’”
The American Legion Post 75 in Geneva will have a Veterans Day Rifle Salute at 11 a.m. Thursday at 3rd and State streets in downtown Geneva. There will be an open house from 3 to 9 p.m. at its post at 22 S. 2nd St. in downtown Geneva.
St. Charles will also host a Veterans Day ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in Fire Station 1, 112 N. Riverside Ave. The ceremony will begin with the National Anthem, followed by a prayer, remarks, a closing prayer, gun salute and Taps performance, according to a news release.
“On Veterans Day we gather as a community to say ‘thank you’ to our veterans for their selfless service to our country,” said Mayor Lora Vitek. in the release. “At the city, we are proud of the fact that nearly 10% of our workforce is veterans. We have been recognized consistently by the U.S. Department of Labor with a Gold Medallion in the HIRE Vets program.”
For more information about the St. Charles event, contact LTC (Ret.) Mark Powell, event coordinator, at 630-329-6444.
For more information about the Batavia VFW, visit @BataviaOverseasVFWAux1197 or vfw1197.org.
Waubonsee Community College will hold a Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. Thursday in Event Room 110BC at the college’s Academic and Professional Center at its Sugar Grove campus.
Source: The Daily Chronicle
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