Communities honor service members with Veterans Day programs Nov. 11

Carrollton’s annual Veterans Day service will be held Tuesday, Nov. 11, at Westview Cemetery beginning at 11 a.m. 

Eddie McLean, a Carroll County Marine Corps veteran who served two tours of duty in Iraq during 2007 and 2008, will be the guest speaker.

McLean, a Carrollton High School graduate, served more than five years of active duty during his seven-year enlistment. He is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Fighting McCook Post 3301 and Carroll County Veterans Club. 

The service also will include the laying of wreaths at the two memorials, an opening and closing prayer, and the traditional three-gun salute by a rifle team of veterans. 

The service and three-gun salute are in conformity with the original Armistice Day established when World War I ended at “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918.” 

However, in 1954, then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day. 

Then, in 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, moving the celebration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. The law reportedly went into effect in 1971 but was changed in 1975 by President Gerald Ford to Nov. 11 due to the important holiday significance of the date. 

Veterans Day commemorates veterans of all wars, along with current military personnel. 

Carrollton High School 

All local veterans are invited to attend a Veterans Day assembly Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 8 a.m. at Carrollton High School. 

The program will include brief remarks by Principal Jason Eddy and recognition of veterans in attendance. 

“We will also recognize the 23 CHS students that died in active duty as we have done in the last few years,” Eddy said. 

Conotton Valley High School 

Local veterans and their spouses are invited to attend a breakfast beginning at 8:15 a.m. Nov. 11, followed by a school wide assembly beginning at 9 a.m. 

The program will include special presentations from a few students, music by the band, choir and elementary classes, as well as introductory remarks from Superintendent John Zucal. 

The celebration to honor local veterans was planned by the Social Studies Department of Conotton Valley High School, according to Jenn Wilson, who is coordinating the event. 

Malvern High School 

A Veterans Day assembly will be held Nov. 11 at 9 a.m. in the Malvern High School gym, where signed-up students will bring a veteran, according to Christy Yeagley, who is coordinating the event. 

Minerva Middle School 

A Veterans Day assembly will be held Nov. 11 beginning with a reception for veterans at 12:30 p.m., followed by an assembly at 1:10 p.m. The seventh-grade staff is in charge of the assembly, according to Ashley Lutz, middle school secretary. 

Sandy Valley High School 

Sandy Valley High School will host a Veterans Day assembly Friday, Nov. 7, at 9:30 a.m. in the high school gym. The 45-minute assembly will be followed by a brunch for veterans and their families, according to Superintendent Matt Whitted. 

Southern Local High School 

Southern Local High School will host its annual Veterans Day program Tuesday, Nov. 11. The program will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the high school gymnasium and will feature students from all grade levels. 

It is free and open to the public. Veterans are also invited to attend a hospitality hour starting at 8:30 a.m. in the high school cafeteria. 

Edison High School 

A breakfast will be held at John Gregg School between Amsterdam and Bergholz beginning at 8:40 a.m., followed by an assembly at 10 a.m. at Edison High School. A similar assembly for veterans is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Stanton Elementary School in Hammondsville.