Local programs honor Breckenridge’s U.S. military veterans
Today, Sunday, Nov. 11, is Veterans Day in the United States. Special events and tributes are taking place all around the country. In Breckenridge, South Elementary’s fifth grade class hosted a special presentation for veterans, families and friends on Friday, Nov. 9, and on Thursday, Nov. 15, the junior high and high school will have a program for veterans.
Breckenridge fifth-grader Bry Armstrong shows off the poster he created to commemorate his neighbor Chuck Loggains, who served in the U.S. Army during the Koran War. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/ Breckenridge Texan)
On Friday, the fifth graders’ program included recitations and songs in a patriotic tribute to local veterans. Additionally, the students had created posters and other projects in honor of veterans. For more photos from South Elementary’s Veterans Day Program, click here to see the Breckenridge Texan’s Photo Gallery.
On Thursday, Nov. 15, the Breckenridge Junior High and High School student councils will host a Veterans Day Program for area men and women who have served in the U.S. military. The program is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in the Breckenridge ISD Athletic Facility and Fine Arts Center (the big gym). The student council advisers are Kim Walker, Donna Schkade and Mandi Farmer.
The BJHS and BHS Veterans Day Program will be open to veterans and U.S. military members from Breckenridge and the surrounding area, as well as to member of the community who would like to honor them.
Beyond Breckenridge, the national ceremony, including the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, will take place on Nov. 11 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Although Veterans Day is on Nov. 11, since that is a Sunday this year, the holiday also will be observed as a Federal Holiday on Monday, Nov. 12. U.S. post offices, as well as many government offices and banks will be closed on Monday, Nov. 12. In Breckenridge, school will be out for the students, but it will be a Professional Development day for teachers and staff members.
This year’s Veterans Day is the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. The holiday was originally known as Armistice Day and is observed on Nov. 11 to mark the day that an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, as explained on the website for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Story by Tony Pilkington and Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
Cutline, top photo: Fifth graders at Breckenridge’s South Elementary School presented a Veterans Day Program for local veterans on Friday, Nov. 9. On Thursday, Nov. 15, Breckenridge Junior High and High School students will have a presentation for veterans. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
