Mayor Reports 2006

Honoring Our Veterans on November 11

Beaverton is among a limited group of communities in Oregon that annually honors our veterans by holding a special Veterans’ Day ceremony, this year being held on Saturday November 11, 2006. This event is held at Beaverton’s Memorial Park at 9^th and Watson Street beginning at 11:00 a.m. each year on Veterans’ Day. The event is organized by the men and women of the Beaverton American Legion Post #124 and co-sponsored by the City of Beaverton and the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District. We are proud of the American Legion Post members who plan and coordinate this special event and I want you to know more about the remembrance.

Veterans’ Day resulted from recognizing the end of World War I (November 11, 1918) and the armistice signed between the Allies and Germans, which ended four years of that dreadful conflict. Originally known as Armistice Day, it was first informally adopted by Congress in 1927. In 1938, Congress formally adopted Armistice Day as November 11 annually honoring those serving in World War I. In 1954, Congress formally changed the name to Veterans’ Day, broadening the recognition by celebrating a day in honor of all servicemen of America’s multiple wars. In our country, we have over 26,000,000 living veterans of which over 17,000,000 actually served under some level of war service. America has lost nearly 700,000 people killed during combat in wartime.

The Beaverton Veterans’ Day ceremony has grown significantly in recent years. It has been estimated that nearly 700 people attended last year’s event. The event takes only about 40 minutes, but is worth every single second of your time! The Beaverton American Legion Post #124 orchestrates and hosts the event that includes the obligatory Veterans’ Day speeches, patriotic songs, lively music played by our own Beaverton Community Band, the heart-thumping flyover by the Oregon Air National Guard F-15’s and the World War II vintage Steerman biplanes, multiple laughs and plenty of good patriotic feelings!

Even after all of that, the best part is watching our American Legion Post members and veterans strut their stuff!! They are so genuinely proud they could make such an important difference in our community and the lives of our citizens! Most of the active leaders of the Post are World War II and Korean War veterans. They aren’t young men and women anymore, but the fire in their hearts burn as brightly as ever. Many are from my parents’ generation. In recent years, the American Legion Post leaders and membership has been responsible for adding multiple memorabilia and upgrades to the park. These include military artifacts, a beautiful brick memorial monument and adding the prestigious Blue Star Memorial marker to the park block. Beaverton’s Memorial Park has never looked finer!

This ceremony isn’t just for the aging veterans. It is for all of us. It is most certainly for those many veterans who served, but also for family, friends and interested persons who want to recognize the sacrifices made by others so that we can maintain and enjoy our many freedoms. It is a day to bond as a community, celebrate our patriotism and further build our commitment to a livable and complete community. It is a time to pause and reflect on our values and be thankful that we’re Americans.

Please join us for Beaverton’s Veterans’ Day ceremony on November 11.

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