How To Honor War Heroes On Veterans Day In Newtown

NEWTOWN, PA — Veterans Day, a federal holiday, will be celebrated Wednesday in the Newtown area.

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

Lower Makefield Township will hold a ceremony at Veterans Square Monument on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m. Those who plan to attend should wear a face mask and stand six feet apart from other people. The event will be streamed live on Verizon FiOS or channel 22 on Comcast, on Facebook, YouTube, and on the township's website.

State Sen. Steve Santarsiero will host an online expo on resources available for veterans in Bucks County on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m.

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.

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.