American Legion Post 66 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9918 will hold a Veterans Day ceremony on Monday, Nov. 11, at 10 a.m. at The Morgan School. The ceremony is open to the public and interested veterans who wish to participate.

Veterans Day is held on Nov. 11 to honor those who have served the country. The day was originally known as Armistice Day and marked the day the Allied Forces and Germany signed an armistice during World War I. President Dwight D. Eisenhower changed the name to Veterans Day in 1954.

The day has a special meaning to those who have served as well as those who have family who served. In order to honor the veterans, each year, Post 66 conducts a ceremony at The Morgan School. The ceremony will feature music performed by students as well as some speeches and readings from the students. Veterans in attendance will be invited to say a few words to the audience if they so choose. The event at The Morgan School is open to the public.

Joe Diedrich, one of the ceremony organizers, said, “It’s a great day. The students have a chance to present and the veterans look forward to it very much and greatly appreciate all the effort the schools put into the day.”

Diedrich said that the post is still looking for any veterans who would like to participate in the ceremony. No uniforms are required, and those with questions can contact Diedrich at 203-901-0945.

In addition to the ceremony, a free meal will be offered for veterans and their guests after the ceremony at the Morgan School. The meal is only for the veterans and their guests, not the general public. No RSVP is needed for the meal.

Diedrich explained that the day is important because it provides the opportunity for some of the veterans to receive a simple “thank you” from the public.

“We all definitely appreciate the thanks you get from the students, staff, and general public. They really are thankful for our service, and we greatly appreciate it,” Diedrich said.

Diedrich said it also serves as an important reminder to the students of the sacrifices that have been made by the veterans.

“We do appreciate for the kids that it’s a chance for them to learn a little bit of the history of what our veterans have done and why we are thanking them. We also include the first responders in all our activities and say thank you to them as well,” Diedrich said.