Veterans Day 2019: Ceremony, Parade, Barbecue Set In Hillsborough

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Veterans Day gives Americans the opportunity to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans. However, most Americans confuse this holiday with Memorial Day, reports the Department of Veterans Affairs.

What's more, some Americans don't know why veterans are honored on Nov. 11.

Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on Nov. 11, 1918. In legislation that was passed in 1938, Nov. 11 was "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'" As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.

In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress -- at the urging of the veterans service organizations -- amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation, Nov. 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

If the Nov. 11 holiday falls on a non-workday -- Saturday or Sunday -- the holiday is observed by the federal government on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday). Federal government closings are established by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. State and local government closings are determined locally and non- government businesses can close or remain open as they see fit, regardless of federal, state or local government operation determinations.

Each May, Memorial Day honors service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle. Deceased veterans are also remembered on Veterans Day but the day is set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime.

Fitness Stationed To Be Debuted At Veterans Memorial Park

Hillsborough County Consumer & Veterans Services and the Veterans Council of Hillsborough County will host the 55th Annual Veterans Day Tribute on Monday, Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park and Rear Admiral LeRoy Collins Jr. Veterans Museum, 3602 U.S. 301 N. in Tampa.

This year’s event includes a special celebration: the formal debut of five fitness stations along the park’s recreational trail. The new equipment, including an outdoor fitness bike and rowing machine, was funded by a $17,365 donation from the Clearwater-based Armed Forces Families Foundation. The fitness stations are along a section of the Tampa Bypass Canal Trail, which connects Veterans Memorial Park and Bypass Canal Park.

For the third consecutive year, the Veterans Day National Committee of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has named Hillsborough County's Veterans Memorial Park and Rear Admiral LeRoy Collins Jr. Veterans Museum to its list of official Regional Veterans Day Sites.

Monday’s ceremony will honor active and former U.S. military service members from all branches and eras of service during a ceremony that will include patriotic music, guest speakers and presentations. Admission and parking for the park and museum are free. Bleacher seating will be available; visitors are also welcome to bring lawn chairs.

In a salute to all branches and eras of military service, the 2019 Veterans Day Tribute program includes:

• Keynote speaker Col. Stephen Snelson, commander of the 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill Air Force Base
• JROTC color guard, drill performance and tributes from local high schools
• Rifle salute and taps
• Veterans Council awards
• Light refreshments and social hour

Homeless Veterans To Receive Homes During Operation: Reveille

And while park visitors gather for the celebration, the nearby Veterans Resource Center will serve as headquarters for Operation: Reveille, a partnership spearheaded by the Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative to place veterans experiencing homelessness into ready-to-move-in apartments.

Throughout the year, the Tampa/Hillsborough Continuum of Care works to find homes for veterans experiencing homelessness. On Veterans Day from 8 a.m. to approximately 2 p.m, Operation: Reveille will present 25 veterans with keys to apartments that include furnishings and household goods.

The Tampa/Hillsborough County Continuum of Care is led by the Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative and is comprised of Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa and other public agencies, faith-based organizations, housing partners and nonprofit agencies.

On Monday, they’ll come together at the Veterans Resource Center on the grounds of Veterans Memorial Park to work with the veterans who have been selected to participate in this year’s Operation: Reveille.

The day begins with breakfast and one-on-one case management counseling with the selected veterans, who will be brought to the park by the county’s Sunshine Line transportation service. Participants will attend a workshop to learn how to transition successfully into permanent housing and meet with community providers - including Veterans Service officers - to determine eligibility for other programs and benefits. The afternoon concludes with matching the veterans with housing choices; some participants will be able to go from the park straight to their new homes.

THHI’s February 2019 Point-In-Time Count identified 149 veterans who were either living on the streets or in temporary shelters in Hillsborough County. Since Operation: Reveille began in 2014, 638 veterans have been placed in permanent, supportive housing during the event on Veterans Day or within the following three months.

The James A. Haley Veterans Hospital hosted its 12 annual Veterans Day Parade Saturday.

Veterans Day Parade At FishHawk Ranch

The Newsome High School Wolfpack Marching Band will host a Veteran’s Day Parade Monday, Nov. 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Park Square at FishHawk Ranch, 16132 Churchview Drive, Lithia.

Participants will be marching 1.7 miles to pay tribute to those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces and first responders. The parade will be led by Grand Marshal Beau Higgins, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and FishHawk Ranch resident. All veterans are invited to participate. There will golf carts available for anyone who needs assistance.

At the conclusion of the parade, there will be a ceremony and celebration at Park Square including the Presentation of Colors by the Newsome JROTC, the Newsome Elite Show Choir performing the National Anthem, guest speaker Beau Higgins and musical performances by the Newsome High School Band and Newsome Elite Show Choir.

There will be a small market of local businesses and vendors on site in addition to raffle drawings and a 50/50 drawing by the Newsome Band Boosters.

Sponsors include Melissa Snively State Farm Insurance, Busciglio Smiles Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry and Pinch-a-Penny FishHawk.

Yuengling To Host Workout Warriors

On Monday, Nov. 11, Yuengling, America’s Oldest Brewery, and Team Red, White & Blue, one of the nation’s leading veteran service organizations, will host “WOD for Warriors” at the Yuengling Center at USF, 12499 Bull Run Drive, Tampa.

“WOD for Warriors” (Workout of the Day) is Team RWB’s annual community-driven workout movement hosted by hundreds of gyms across the country to support and raise donations for America’s veterans.

Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. followed by opening remarks by Jennifer Yuengling, vice president of operations for Yuengling and a six-generation brewer, at 5:30 p.m. Yuengling will present a $50,000 donation check to Team RWB to further the organization's commitment to creating quality relationships and positive experiences for veterans through various fitness activities, social gatherings and community service projects.

From 6 to 8 p.m., military veterans will participate in the Workout of the Day, competing for prizes, following by a social with Yuengling beer from 8 to 10 p.m.

WOD for Warriors is Team RWB’s annual workout day held on and around Veterans Day at gyms across the country.

Veterans Offered Free Shuffleboard

Shuffle, 2612 N. Tampa St., in Tampa Heights, will honor veterans with free shuffleboard all Veterans Day weekend. Featuring four indoor shuffleboard courts, Shuffle has been hosting veterans from the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital for their recreational therapy for over a year.

Shuffleboard is a low-impact sport that anyone can play, including those with mental and physical disabilities. Several VA inpatient groups have come to Shuffle to play including the Polytrauma Unit, Spinal Cord Injury Unit, PREP (Post-Deployment Rehabilitation and Evaluation Progam), and PTRP (Polytrauma Transitional Rehabilitation Program).

The owners of Shuffle, Jennifer Montgomery and Danielle O'Connor, are daughters of Vietnam veterans. O'Connor and her family have been through three wartime Army deployments and she currently also works at the VA, interviewing TBI Veterans and their family members about their rehabilitation needs. The research results get reported to Congress so improvements can be made in the services the VA provides. Both women have supported the troops in many ways over the years and would like to use Shuffle to continue to do so by donating shuffleboard to recovering Veterans.

No experience is needed to participate. Employees and volunteers will be available to assist with rules and regulations. All skill levels are invited to participate.

Shuffle features four indoor regulation size shuffleboard courts, a kitchen serving concession stand-style food, and a bar serving beer, wine, liquor with six rotating taps.

Operation Tee-Of At Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club

Operation WetVet will host its first Operation Tee-Off at Tampa Palms Veterans Day tournament Monday, Nov. 11 at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club, 5811 Tampa Palm Blvd., Tampa. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 9 a.m.

The charity golf tournament will include a backyard barbecue-style lunch with reservations.

Operation WetVet is a veteran-run nonprofit dedicated to helping combat wounded and disabled veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries create new memories in a safe, calming environment centered around camaraderie, fishing and other water activities.