By: Sandra Thompson
Honoring our veterans, that is what it is all about, and we try to do it every day. What a better way to honor them for Veterans Day than a parade! Veterans Day, as opposed to Memorial Day which is to honor the veterans we have lost, is to honor all individuals who have served in the military. Armed Forces Day, also in May, honors those members currently serving. Originally known as Armistice Day, it honored the official end to WWI, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. At the urging of major U.S. veterans’ organizations, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.
This year, the Alabama Veterans Museum along with members of the local service organizations will resume management of the Athens/Limestone County Veterans Day Parade which will be held on Saturday, Nov 9 at 11:00 a.m. The parade will start at the Athens Middle School (formerly the high school), go down Hobbs St., around the square, and end up at Hometown grocery. Although we are honoring all veterans, we are seeking WWII veterans to ride in the lead float. We are also excited to announce this year we will have a premier sponsor, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). AARP offers special discounts and rates for our veterans; they also provide information on veterans’ services. Thank you for your support! Contact Sandy at the museum (256-771-7578) or Yvonne Dempsey at 256-431-3213 for more information or to sign up for the parade.
The museum would also like to say like to say a great big “Thank You” to Nita Elmore, Marcella Coblentz, and Pam Clem for their hard work on this beautiful quilt and shams. The quilt and shams were donated by them to the museum on Saturday for a fundraising project. For a mere donation of $3.00 for one chance or $5.00 for 3 chances, this could be yours! The winner will be announced on 7 Dec at Coffee Call! It would make a wonderful Christmas gift for someone! Tickets may be purchased at the museum.
By: Sandra Thompson
Director, Alabama Veterans’ Museum
