Veterans Day In Santa Monica: How To Honor Military Personnel

SANTA MONICA, CA — The post office and most banks will be closed in Santa Monica on Thursday in observance of Veterans Day, a federal holiday that honors veterans of the U.S. armed forces.

The city of Santa Monica, the Los Angeles Army Recruitment Battalion and the California Army National Guard will host a live-streamed and in-person Veterans Day commemoration on Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Santa Monica Pier, North Beach Lot 1, 1550 PCH.

A limited number of seats will be available for in-person participation and the Santa Monica community is encouraged to view the ceremony on the City’s YouTube due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The program will include:

• Posting of the colors
• National anthem
• Remarks from Mayor Sue Himmelrich and Councilmember Gleam Davis
• Remarks from General Curtis Taylor, U.S. Army
• Future soldiers swearing in ceremony

“It is our great fortune to have so many brave men and women in service to our country. They deserve our recognition all year with special honors paid on Veterans Day,” Mayor Sue Himmelrich said in a statement. “We proudly join the U.S. Army in this tribute and ask the community to join us virtually to recognize and honor the veterans in our lives and across Santa Monica.”

“The past year and a half have been extremely challenging for our military veterans with the continued pandemic and the fallout from Afghanistan," Sonki Hong, Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army, said in a statement. "On this Veterans Day, we challenge you to help us make them feel extra special by showing gratitude and honor for their service."

Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier will also highlight Veterans Day with a Pacific Wheel Ferris wheel lighting program of patriotic red, white and blue colors and patterns including 130-feet tall icons of the American flag and five armed services’ seals.

For 21 years, the five pillars of the Veterans Memorial in Palisades Park honor each branch of our military, the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Airforce, and the Coast Guards. The Santa Monica Veterans Memorial symbolizes peace and healing. During the month of November, Santa Monicans are encouraged to visit the memorial. The Nov. 11 celebration will be held on the deck of the historic Santa Monica Pier.

All unvaccinated persons are encouraged to wear masks outdoors and all persons who are feeling ill or who have been exposed to COVID-19 should not attend. Everyone can watch virtually.

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.

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