Reading To Dedicate New Memorial At Veterans Day Event

READING, MA — Reading community members will gather on Friday morning to dedicate a new Vietnam Veterans Memorial as part of larger Veterans Day ceremonies.

Set for Friday at 11 a.m., this event will take place at Reading Memorial High School, as noted in a town announcement on Monday.

The town plans to unveil a new memorial honoring Reading Vietnam veterens, including seven men who attended Reading Memorial High School before being killed in action in Vietnam.

Events on Friday will also include the presentation of the Silver Star to longtime Reading teacher, coach and veteran Hal Croft, among other presentations and remarks.

Veterans Day takes place on Nov. 11 annually on the anniversary of the armistice that ended hostilities in World War I in 1918. President Woodrow Wilson marked the first anniversary of the armistice as “Armistice Day” in 1919. Congress then helped codify the day as a legal holiday in 1938 before changing the “Armistice Day” name to “Veterans Day” in 1954 after World War II and the Korean War, as noted in a history on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.

Ceremonies at 11 a.m. on Friday in Reading will directly precede a separate dedication event planned elsewhere on the Reading Memorial High School campus.

Reading Schools personnel will follow 11 a.m. programming with an event to dedicate the town’s new running track in honor of Croft, who spent decades coaching Reading high school track student athletes.

See full details and the speaking schedule for 11 a.m. events here.