Veteran's Day

By Scott Smith in News on Nov 10, 2006 4:34PM

In the wake of an election that many saw as a referendum on our current military conflict, the nation marks its 87th celebration of Armistice Day tomorrow with Veteran’s Day.

Originally intended as a day to remember the end of World War I, the United States now spends November the 11th honoring all those who’ve served in the armed forces.

Chicago honors its veterans on Saturday with a program at Soldier Field (where else) starting at 11 a.m. If you hustle, you can head over to Simons Park for a Veteran’s Day youth billiards tournament. Way to keep the kids off the streets, CPD!

In fact, most schools are open, RTA trains and buses will operate on their regular weekend schedules and parking meters must be fed. Mail will be delivered today, but not tomorrow. Banks and post offices will be closed. Most federal, state and city offices are closed today.

This year, Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson is trying to start a new tradition of vets wearing their ribbons and service medals on Veteran’s Day. He wants to encourage more pride in those who’ve served in the military. It's an interesting idea, especially since we've often found many veterans to be proud of their sacrifice, but reluctant to discuss it.

From 8 a.m. to noon tomorrow, the Naperville City Hall will showcase "Portrait of a Soldier," an exhibit of hand-drawn portraits of 138 men and women from Illinois who were killed while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last five years.