Veterans Day in Leelanau County

Veterans Day, the annual American holiday honoring military veterans, is tomorrow, November 11. This date is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I, and is celebrated around the world as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. Thus many of Veterans Day observances are traditionally held at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month each year.

The Leelanau Enterprise reports that the official Leelanau Veterans Day Observance will take place at 11 AM at the Government Center and also that:

It will be the second year that Veterans Day observances will be held in front of the new government center building instead of at the Veterans Memorial site in front of the old county courthouse in Leland. The black granite Veterans Memorial marker is currently in storage awaiting completion of a new Veterans Memorial plaza on the government center campus.

At this year’s ceremony, members of local Veterans of Foreign War and American Legion posts will provide color guards and a firing squad as part of the observance.

The keynote speaker at the government center ceremony will be Maj. Nick Martinson, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Better known locally as the director of the Martinson Funeral Home in Suttons Bay, Martinson, 38, also serves as commanding officer of a Marine Reserve company headquartered at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Mount Clemens.

Also in Leelanau, the Northport Highanlands senior living community will offer breakfast to seniors followed by a special presentation for veterans featuring a talk by World War II veteran Richard Grout of Suttons Bay, beginning at 8 am. For more information and reservations, please contact Beth Nunnelly at 386-9900.

Then at 10 a.m. at Northport Public School, students will hear a presentation from Leelanau County resident and veteran Conrad Bult on the history of Armistice Day and Veterans Day. The keynote speaker at the event in the Northport Public School auditorium will be county resident Raymond Ross, Ph.D. The public is invited to attended.

Also the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will offer free access to the national park for all veterans and members of the U.S. Armed Forces on Veterans Day.

The Veterans Day National Ceremony is held on November 11th at Arlington National Cemetery. At 11:00 a.m., a color guard, made up of members from each of the military services, renders honors to America’s war dead during a tradition-rich ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Michael Moore announced that on Veterans Day, all Vets will get into the State Theater for free. Vets just need to walk up to the box office, and say “I’m a Vet” to receive free admission.

Photo: Lake Street, Glen Arbor, MI, July, 2009 by tpowell923