The local community of veterans invites all Fountain Hills citizens to a formal ceremony to honor all veterans, living and deceased, to be held at 9 a.m. Veterans Day, Friday, Nov. 11, at the Fountain Hills Veterans Memorial, 17200 El Lago Blvd. in Fountain Park.

All three community veterans service organizations, VFW Post 7507, AmVets Post 7 and American Legion Post 58 participate in the event.

The VFW Color Guard will present the Colors, and keynote speaker is Ellen Flanary, VFW Post 7507’s Jr. Vice Commander and retired Marine.

This event honors veterans and reminds citizens of the service given by military members.

Fighting in World War I (known at the time as “The Great War”) ceased on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11 a.m. Unfortunately, most business no longer stops and parades are few and far between. Fountain Hills however does hold this public ceremony at the Veterans Memorial to which the public is invited.