Oregon Online Directory of Statewide Veterans Day Events

There are many Veterans events taking place in Oregon and throughout the USA.

Photo by Michael Bachara, Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - The Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs' online directory of statewide Veterans Day events is back and better than ever.

This easy-to-use resource includes an interactive map and listing of all the ceremonies, parades, fundraisers, services, meals, concerts and everything else celebrating our veterans from Pendleton to Myrtle Point.

Find it at oregondva.com/2017-veterans-day. There you will see parades in cities across the state listed, but the biggest Veteran's Day west of the Mississippi is in historic Albany, Oregon.

In Albany at 11am sharp, the Patriot Guard Riders take the lead. The Patriot Guard Riders are the ones who stand with the families of our fallen. They are the ones who form a flag line for our departing soldiers and again are there to escort our soldiers when they come home.

Albany asks them to lead the parade each year in order to honor all veterans and their families on Veterans Day.

So, as you hear the roar of the engines on Veterans Day in Albany, you will know it's the Patriot Guard Riders up front, followed by approx. 400 + additional riders. Most who are veterans themselves. They will then be followed by over 200 individual parade entries.

Veterans Day history

President Wilson proclaimed November 11, 1919, as the first “Armistice Day,” commemorating the armistice between the Allied nations and Germany which took effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, ending the Great War.

For the next several decades, Armistice Day primarily honored veterans of World War I.

In 1954, to reflect the involvement of American veterans in World War II and Korea, the name was changed to Veterans Day. President Eisenhower appointed a Veterans Day National Committee “to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary.”

For a brief time, the observance of Veterans Day moved from year to year to ensure three-day weekends akin to Memorial Day in an attempt to encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities.

By 1978 the date of observance was restored to November 11, preserving the historical significance of that date in accordance with the desires of major veterans organizations and the American people.

Oregon Capitol Event at WWII Memorial

ODVA is also organizing its annual Statewide Veterans Day Celebration, which will take place at 2 p.m. Nov. 11 at the World War II Memorial in Salem, which is located at the intersection of Cottage and Court streets on the grounds of the Oregon State Capitol.

The event will feature remarks by Joshua Groesz, Iraq combat veteran and executive director of The Salvation Army's Veterans and Family Center; Marianne McNally, daughter of World War II hero and "Band of Brothers" company member Don Malarkey; and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden.

If you are outside of Oregon, go to Military.com's list of parades and other Veteran's Day events: 2017 Veterans Day Events

SEE ALSO:

• 2016: Portland 42nd Annual Veteran's Day Parade (SLIDESHOW), by Michael Bachara
• 2015: Veteran's Day Ceremonies Throughout Oregon