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VALLEY – Rain or shine, American Legion Post 67 always has a Memorial Day program in May and a Veterans Day program in November. On good weather days, the programs are always in Veterans Park on Highway 29 in Langdale; on inclement days they are indoors at Valley Community Center.

Post 67 always starts their Veterans Day programs at 11 a.m. on November 11th. It marks the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year. That was the time the armistice ending World War I went into effect in 1918. That time, date and year has been memorialized every year since then. In the early years it was Armistice Day, a day to celebrate what U.S. soldiers did in the Great War. Following WW II the day was renamed Veterans Day to honor soldiers from all of our country’s past wars.

November 11th falls on a Monday this year. Post 67 is planning to have an 11 a.m. EST program in Veterans Park.

Post Adjutant Sammy Newton will be talking about his experiences as a U.S. Army soldier during the period of the Vietnam War. He will be talking about going through basic training and spending a year in South Vietnam.

A visit to Veterans Park will present the opportunity to see the names on four monuments that are in the park. These are the names of local men who died in service to our country during World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam and in the Iraq/Afghanistan wars.

“Veterans Park is a special place, especially to those who have served in the military,” said Post Commander Lanny Bledsoe. “We pray that no more names will be added on monuments in the park, but in the world we live in today we don’t know that will happen.”

The public is invited to come out to the November 11th Veterans Day program and to sh0w their respects to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting our country’s freedoms.