Events, Businesses Pay Tribute On Veterans Day
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- Tuesday marks Veterans Day, during which we take time to honor the brave men and women who have served our country.
Veterans Day originated as Armistice Day on this day in 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress amended the holiday to include veterans of all U.S. wars in 1954.
Throughout the Twin Cities, ceremonies will be held to honor military veterans and active duty service members.
The state's official Veterans Day program was set to begin in Inver Grove Heights Tuesday. The program will feature an Oath of Enlistment ceremony for new U.S. Armed Forces enlistees and a station to write and deliver holiday cards to soldiers stationed overseas.
Gov. Mark Dayton will deliver a keynote address, and Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar, Reps. John Kline and Betty McCollum and others are to appear. The ceremony will be televised on Metro Cable Network Channel 6. The program begins at 10 a.m.
Click here for the full list of Veterans Day events.
Businesses and companies are also paying tribute to veterans on Tuesday through deals.
Great Clips will give vets a free haircut, and Starbucks is offering a free coffee to all military vets and active duty service members and their spouses.
Locally, vets will get a free drink and donut at Yo Yo Donuts in Minnetonka. Also, veterans can get a free meal at Leo's Grill and Malt Shop in Stillwater and Hell's Kitchen in Minneapolis.
Today, there are more than 23 million military veterans in the U.S. More than 370,000 Minnesotans are veterans, according to the state's Department of Veterans Affairs.
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