How To Honor War Heroes On Veterans Day In Oak Forest

Yasmeen Sheikah
·2 min read

OAK FOREST, IL — Veterans Day, a federal holiday, is held yearly on Nov. 11. It honors all American veterans and military.

In Oak Forest, there is a virtual Veterans Day ceremony on Wednesday. The Veterans Commission had the CIC-TV record in advance the placing of retired flag ashes in the flag repository at James/155 and Central (City of Oak Forest campus). The recording will be played at the City Council meeting Nov. 10.

Veterans can also get a discounted haircut in honor of Veterans Day at Hair Cuttery Salons across Illinois. As a salute to military heroes, all Hair Cuttery locations will offer veterans a 10 percent discount to any service from a stylist between Nov. 8 through Nov. 15, with proof of military ID, according to a news release sent to Patch.

Hair Cuttery in towns nearby include Tinley Park, located at 17121 Harlem Ave. and Orland Park, located at 11235 W. 143rd St.

Originally called Armistice Day, the holiday was created at the end of World War I to recognize those who fought in “the war to end all wars,” according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Its 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 after 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.

With some ceremonies, parades and presentations either canceled or altered in 2020 due to the coronavirus crisis, 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 in war.

This article originally appeared on the Oak Forest Patch