The Village of Orland Park Will Host A Veterans Day Ceremony

ORLAND PARK, IL — The Village of Orland Park is hosting their annual Veterans Day ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 11. The event will honor veterans and residents are welcome to join.

Orland Park's veterans memorial displays the engraved names of veterans, living and deceased, from across the country who served in all branches and in all wars, according to the village. It is during the Memorial and Veterans Day ceremonies that the newly added veterans' names are announced, and veterans are recognized.

Names newly added to the village's granite walls bordering the Veterans Memorial, Ara Pace – Place of Peace, will be unveiled, according to the village. The event will take place at 14700 S. Ravinia Ave, with a ceremony beginning at 11 a.m.

"The Village’s ceremony for Veterans Day is a long standing tradition that the Village is honored to host," Mayor Keith Pekau said. "It’s nice to come together as a community to remember all who have served our country."

According to the village, the following veterans will be honored and added to the memorial wall:

• Alfred R. Brazen
• Norberto R. Casarez Sr.
• John T. Cavanaugh
• Terrence Michael Harty
• Philip R. Kosiba
• Terry Lew Krause
• Terrence Lee Martin
• Tony Martinez
• Robert N. Nicola
• Kevin T. O’Brien
• Maurice J. O’Connor
• William Joseph Rafferty
• Terry Vance Watland

Pekau will read aloud the names of the 13 veterans newly engraved on the wall.

"The community is invited to join us for this important day of observance as we honor our area veterans," Pekau said. "We have 13 new names to be unveiled on the wall this Veterans Day, each and every one of them representative of someone who deserves our respect and recognition."

The village said this year’s ceremony will begin with the Presentation of Colors by the American Legion Orland Memorial Post 111 and Orland-Palos Rebber-Tesmond VFW Memorial Post 2604. The Pledge of Allegiance will follow before resident Shannon Gallagher performs our national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner.

Dale Carver of the Orland Park Veterans Commission will give a welcome before a blessing by Reverend Don Borling, Pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Orland Park, according to the village.

The village said the honor guard’s rifle volley, a customary tradition in which three volleys of shots are fired in honor of deceased veterans, will follow. The event will close with the singing of God Bless America and the retiring of colors.

Veterans Day originated as "Armistice Day" on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day honors all former military service members. The name of the day of honor was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Ceremonies are traditionally held on the "11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour," to mark the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning.

The village said the socially distanced ceremony will be held outdoors, rain or shine. Those interested in virtual participation can view the program on the Village’s YouTube channel. A recording will be posted on the Village’s social media accounts, cable access channel (Comcast channel 4 and AT&T U-Verse channel 99) and YouTube channel after the live viewing, according to the village.