Salem Veterans Day Ceremony Goes Remote For 2020

SALEM, MA — Salem's annual Veterans Day ceremony will be held virtually this year because of the coronavirus health crisis.

The ceremony will be broadcast on the city's Facebook page and Salem Access Television Wednesday morning at 11.

"Through the generations, their courage and sacrifice have allowed our country to flourish," Salem police posted on their Facebook page. "Let's all take a moment on this Veteran's Day to honor those ordinary people who have done something extraordinary so that we may all enjoy the freedoms we treasure today."

Mayor Kim Driscoll, State Sen. Joan Lovely and State Rep. Paul Tucker will be at the ceremony and will deliver results.

The keynote speaker is Salem native and U.S. Army Vietnam War Captain Stanley Burba.

Friends and family of Salem's veterans are invited to share their memories and stories of veterans in the Salem City Facebook and SATV comments sections.

Originally called Armistice Day, the holiday was created at the end of World War I to recognize those who fought in "the war to end all wars," according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Its origin is tied to the armistice, a temporary end of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany signed in France on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

It became Veterans Day in 1954, shortly after the end of the Korean War and less than a decade after World War II, after various veterans service organizations urged Congress to encompass veterans of all wars in their honor.

With some ceremonies, parades and presentations either canceled or altered in 2020 due to the coronavirus crisis, restaurants and other businesses will continue to show their appreciation for veterans and active military members.

Applebee’s, Bob Evans and Chili's Grill and Bar are among the national restaurant chains offering free or discounted meals for veterans on Nov. 11, and 7-Eleven is offering a free cup of coffee or Big Gulp.

Other places, such as Golden Corral and Eat'n Park, have offers extended throughout November.

Veterans Day is somewhat related to, and sometimes mistaken for, Memorial Day, the federal holiday on the final Monday of May that is dedicated to those who have died while serving the United States in war.