Veterans Alliance to Host Veterans Day Ceremony

CLEARWATER, FL – A Pinellas County Veterans Day ceremony will not only honor recently fallen military personnel, but also add a main thoroughfare to a national network that honors Purple Heart recipients.

The Tampa Bay Veterans Alliance will host its Veterans Day Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 10:30 a.m. at Crest Lake Park, 201 S. Glenwood Ave., Clearwater.

Former Congressman David Jolly will emcee the event. Cindy Dietz, a Gold Star Mother of Navy SEAL Danny Dietz, who died during a firefight in Afghanistan, is scheduled to be the featured speaker. Capt. Ward Sandlin, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in Clearwater, and Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos also are scheduled to speak at the event.

The ceremony will also include a fly-over by the U.S. Coast Guard. Entertainment will follow the ceremony and refreshments will be provided. Resources to help veterans will be available on site.

During the ceremony, Clearwater State Rep. Chris Latvala will dedicate State Road 60 as a Purple Heart Trail. Established in 1992 by the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Purple Heart Trail is a symbolic national network of roadways to commemorate and honor all men and women who were wounded or killed in combat while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Earlier this summer, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners endorsed the state’s designation of the trail this summer. The board also proclaimed Pinellas as a Purple Heart County.

For more information, visit https://tampabayveteransalliance.org/.

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