Photo Gallery: Veterans Day

Veterans Day is our chance to thank those who served in the military, for protecting the freedoms we hold dear. And many people took the opportunity to do just that on Friday, at several Veterans Day events in the Montgomery area.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7452 held their annual remembrance ceremony at , and though it was cold and windy, the event still drew a large audience. Members of the VFW laid wreaths at the base of the war memorial in Riverside, fired off a 21-gun salute to the departed, and played “Taps.”

“So long as two comrades survive, so long shall the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States render tribute to our heroic dead,” said Commander LaVerne Webber at the ceremony’s start.

After the brief remembrance, the assembled returned to the VFW Hall on River Street for turtle soup and a bake sale organized by the Ladies Auxiliary. According to Senior Vice President Sue Ward, members of the Auxiliary baked pies and cookies to sell, with the money going to help Hines VA Hospital and National Homes, for soldiers and their families.

Up the river, the Fox Valley Park District held a Veterans Day luncheon at the Prisco Center on Illinois Avenue in Aurora. Hundreds of veterans enjoyed a free meal, co-sponsored by General Motors’ Our Town Our Heroes program.

The East Aurora High School Jazz Band provided entertainment, and a film introducing Honor Flight Chicago, an organization that gives veterans a free flight to Washington, D.C. to see the war memorials, was shown. (There will be a fundraiser for Honor Flight Chicago tonight, at Ballydoyle on New York Street in Aurora.)

Even young kids got into the spirit. At , students lined Boulder Hill Pass with American flags, and discussed the importance of honoring our veterans.

Veterans Day, formerly Armistice Day, marks the end of World War I, on Nov. 11, 1918. Friday was the first Veterans Day celebrated without a veteran of that war—Frank Buckles, the last surviving American World War I vet, died in February.

If you have photos of Veterans Day events, feel free to add them to this gallery. Drop by the site on Monday for a video of Montgomery’s ceremony.