Veterans Day In Phoenix: How To Honor Military Personnel

PHOENIX, AZ — The post office and most banks will be closed in Phoenix on Thursday in observance of Veterans Day, a federal holiday that honors veterans of the U.S. armed forces.

The city of Phoenix offices, Arizona District courts and Maricopa County offices will also be closed for the holiday.

Phoenix's 25th annual Veterans Day parade is set to begin at 11 a.m. Thursday and is expected to end around 1 p.m., according to its organizing group, Honoring America's Veterans. There will be 15 marching units, 2,500 marchers and 10 floats in the parade and an expected 45,000 spectators watching.

The parade will start on Central Avenue at Montebello Avenue, heading south. It will turn east on Camelback Road, and then turn south on 7th Street.

Parking is first-come first-serve on the side streets along the route. Click here to check out road closures ahead of time.

Veterans Day, commemorated annually on Nov. 11, was first celebrated in 1919 to honor those who fought in World War I. It was initially called Armistice Day and was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

The holiday’s 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 following 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.

While some ceremonies, parades and services may be canceled or altered as the coronavirus pandemic continues, restaurants and other businesses will continue to show their appreciation for veterans and active-military members.

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.