By the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1649 and Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation are excited to invite the Santa Barbara community to this year’s Veterans Day Ceremony on Monday, November 11th, at 11:00 a.m. at the Santa Barbara Cemetery, 901 Channel Drive.
Attendees are encouraged to arrive early; The open air ceremony begins at 11:00 a.m. with presentations and performances by the UCSB Color Guard, Gold Coast Pipe & Drum Band, David Gonzales and the Santa Barbara Choral Society, and The Prime Time Band. The ceremony will conclude with a flyover by The Condor Squadron.
This year will feature keynote speaker US Army veteran Brooks Firestone, former County Supervisor, State Assemblyman, and local businessman; and guest speaker Lieutenant Colonel Tim Downing, Department Chairman UC Santa Barbara Army ROTC Surfrider Battalion.
The cemetery’s driveway will be decorated with dozens of American flags, along with flags marking the graves of our fellow citizens who gave their lives in the service of our country. The ceremony will take place near the main flagpole, with seating available for up to 500, with additional standing room and plenty of parking.
A national holiday, Veterans Day, celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans. It was originally known as Armistice Day in the U.S. and coincides with other holidays including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day which are celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. This event honors the dedication, service and bravery of local men and women who served in the four branches of the U.S. armed forces.
For more information, please go to: https://www.pcvf.org/veterans-day-ceremony
About Santa Barbara VFW Post 1649
The VFW was established to assist veterans. VFW’s mission is to foster camaraderie among United States veterans of overseas conflicts and to serve our veterans, the military and our communities and advocate on behalf of all veterans. The purposes of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States are fraternal, patriotic, historical, charitable, and educational; to preserve and strengthen comradeship among its members; to assist worthy comrades; to perpetuate the memory and history of our dead, and to assist their surviving spouses and orphans; to maintain true allegiance to the Government of the United States of America, and fidelity to its institutions of American freedom, and to preserve and defend the United States from all her enemies.
About Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation
Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation is committed to honoring the men and women who have served in U.S. military efforts. PCVF does this by supporting veterans and active duty members, and related partner organizations, in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties as well as preserving military history and legacy. The Foundation works to uphold Pierre Claeyssens’s vision that those who have served are “Never Forgotten.†PCVF is funded entirely by private donations. For more information, visit www.pcvf.org or call (805) 259-4394.
Why is it at the cemetery? Most of us VETS are still quite alive
Did they confuse Veterans Day with Memorial Day ?
Most vets by far are dead. Why not the cemetery
Layt – Great point as there is a distinct difference between the veterans being honored.
They fought and many died to make this country a better place for their children and grandchildren.