Ninety-four years to the day after the end of World War I, people from around the country came to the nation’s capital to pay tribute to those who serve and have served in the American armed forces.
It’s a day of both gratitude and somber memories for Harriet Baer, an army nurse from Peoria, Ill., who was stationed in England during World War II.
“Most of the patients we got were burn patients,” Baer explained as she arrived at the World War II exhibit on the National Mall Sunday morning. “We kind of got to know the people because they were there quite a while... It was a moving experience.”
Baer’s experience is one of just many that was remembered on a day that pays tribute to the men and women who have served in the defense of their country.
President Obama laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of the Unknowns Sunday morning, then paid tribute to veterans in his subsequent speech, calling them "the heroes over the generations who have served this country of ours with distinction."
At the Vietnam Memorial Wall, the moment to pause and remember the nation’s veterans was met with solemnity. This week marks 30 years since the wall’s dedication.
Last week, family and veterans of Vietnam veterans spent four days reading the names of 58,282 Americans who were killed or listed as missing-in-action during the Vietnam War. Elsewhere in the District, a wreath was laid at the African-American Civil War Memorial.
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Several communities throughout the area also paused to remember local veterans. Retired Brig. Gen. Donald Whalen was due to speak at Gaithersburg’s Veterans Day event at the City Hall Concert Pavilion. Rockville also recognized its community’s veterans at its Veterans Park on Rockville Pike.
Washington National Cathedral held its Sunday morning service in honor of area veterans, both past and present. Before the service, they held a forum for veterans about coming home from war.
Meanwhile, attorneys from the National Veterans Legal Services Program met with local veterans regarding what kind of benefits disabled vets are eligible for, as well as how to apply. The event takes place again Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. at Anne Arundel Community College.
A community college in western Maryland is honoring students who are military veterans by giving them a special place to study and relax.
The Cumberland Times-News reports that Monday's dedication of a veterans lounge at Garrett College in McHenry features guest speakers and a 21-gun salute.
College President Richard MacLennan says students who are veterans need a quiet place to study and be with other veterans.
The lounge includes a big-screen TV and theater-style seating, all funded by community donations.
MacLennan says veterans comprise five percent of the student population. He says the lounge sends a message that the community is grateful for their service and that Garrett College is committed to serving them.
A new museum in Augusta County showcases military history from the Revolutionary War to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Stonewall Brigade Museum's artifacts previously were housed in the Staunton Armory. But after 9/11, they weren't accessible to the public due to security reasons.
WVIR-TV reports that the museum opened Saturday in Verona. Saturday was the 270th anniversary of the founding of the Augusta Militia, which became the Stonewall Brigade.
Maryland officials will be attending a ceremony to honor veterans in Baltimore.
Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown will join Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Rep. John Sarbanes at the ceremony on Monday.
Other state and local officials also will attend, as well as members of various veterans organizations.
The ceremony will be held in the War Memorial Plaza after the annual veterans march.
