Remembering Veterans Day

American Legion offering Red Poppies for donation JOURNAL STAFF Veterans Day will be celebrated on Monday, Nov. 12, even though Veterans Day is always on Nov. 11.

The Armistice to end World War I, The War to End All Wars, was signed at 11:00 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918, in Compiègne, France -- the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

Nov. 11 is called Armistice Day in France, Remembrance Day throughout the British Commonwealth, and Veterans Day here in the United States.

The day originally was to remember the eight million people from all nations who lost their lives in WWI. In the United States, Veterans Day has been broadened by Congress to remember all U.S. veterans throughout our history for their service to the United States of America.

To honor our nation's veterans, members of American Legion Post 181 will be giving out poppies at the following businesses on Saturday, Nov. 10 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Jay's Market, Safeway, Albertson's, Haggen Food and Pharmacy, Ace Hardware, and Tom Thumb in South Lake Stevens.

The poppies were made by disabled American veterans and purchased from them by the local post in Lake Stevens especially for this event. Information on the tradition of the poppy and Flanders Fields will also be given out.

Donations will be accepted throughout the day Saturday. Money collected is used by the local American Legion to help local veterans and currently serving military, and their families. Legion programs that benefit our community such as Boys and Girls State, Legion Baseball, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Blue Star Service Banners, Children's Welfare, Constitutional Speech Contest, Flag Etiquette, recognitions, and scholarships receive most of the funding from our Poppy Days on Veterans Day and Memorial Day.

For more information on Flanders Fields, poppies, or Veterans Day, visit this site:  http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday

Lake Stevens Memorial American Legion Post 181 meets the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month (excluding Thanksgiving) at 7:00 PM in the Senior Center in downtown Lake Stevens. Meetings are open to the public, and membership is open to honorably discharged veterans who served during a wartime era. For more information about The American Legion go to:  www.post181.org  or  www.legion.org  or call Tony Morea at 360-631-3242.

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