Veterans Day events planned in Dayton
Numerous cities and community groups will host events Thursday (and later) to honor military veterans around the Miami Valley.
CENTERVILLE
The City of Centerville’s Veterans Day ceremony is set for 11 a.m. Thursday at the Stubbs Park Veterans Memorial, 255 West Spring Valley Pike.
The speaker delivering the keynote address is Chief Master Sergeant Jason Shaffer, who served as the Command Chief Master Sergeant for the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. As the senior enlisted leader, he provides advice and counsel on enlisted issues to approximately 5,000 officers, civilians and enlisted members.
The city will also honor four residents who have contributed greatly to our country’s freedom and security. You can read the stories of Fred Pou, William (Bill) Friel, Charles Feicht and Timothy Mullen on the city website or at bit.ly/3CL29qE.
MIAMISBURG
The Miamisburg Historical Society Veterans Committee invites the public to salute all veterans, past and present, at its annual Veterans Day Program. It will be conducted by American Legion Post 165 at 11 a.m. Thursday in Veterans Memorial Park, 426 E. Central Ave.
Jim Caldwell of Post 165 will emcee the program and will include an address by Mayor Michelle Collins, patriotic remarks by Vietnam Veteran Billy Ring and patriotic music by the Miamisburg Alumni Band and vocalist Alberta Duncan of Post 165.
BEAVERCREEK
Join the City of Beavercreek to honor and celebrate the brave men and women in our community who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday at Veterans
Memorial Park, 1911 N. Fairfield Road. This ceremony is free to attend and open to the public.
For more information, visit www.beavercreekohio.gov or call 937-427-5500.
AIR FORCE MUSEUM
The Air Force Museum Foundation and the National Aviation Hall of Fame will honor the legacy of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) Thursday at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
Three ticket levels are available — $12 for admission to a special presentation starting at 7 p.m., to $32 for that admission plus a signed copy of “What Grandma Did,” to $75 for those two things plus access to a VIP reception starting at 5:30 p.m.
The presentation, held in the museum’s second building, will feature author Erin Miller sharing stories about her grandmother, WASP World War II pilot Elaine Danforth Harmon, and discussing her book “What Grandma Did.” Then filmmakers Adam and Kara White will have a screening of their film “RISE ABOVE: WASP.”
A panel discussion, with a question-and-answer period, will follow.
Tickets are available online at afmuseum.com/livinghistory.
LEBANON YMCA
Countryside YMCA’s annual Veterans Day event is free and open to the community at noon Thursday, at 1699 Deerfield Road in Lebanon. The Y especially welcomes veterans, their spouses, and their children. The program will begin at noon, followed by a boxed lunch.
The first class of participants from the Y’s newest program, Veterans Connect, will also be honored during the ceremony. Veterans Connect is a free 12-week program designed specifically to meet the needs of local veterans.
The Little Miami High School JROTC will present the colors and the Warren County Sheriff ’s Honor Guard, Pipe and Drum Corps will give a 21-gun salute. The Lebanon High School jazz band will perform, and there will be a moment of silence to remember all prisoners of war and those missing in action.
WARREN COUNTY CAREER CENTER
Warren County Career Center, 3525 N. Ohio 48 in Lebanon, is hosting a Veterans Day “drive through, thank you” breakfast from 8 to 9 a.m. Thursday. All area veterans are invited to drive in the main entrance and around the circle to pick up a free Chick-Fil-A breakfast and be greeted and celebrated by WCCC students and staff.
Warren County Career Center plans to resume its regular Veterans Day breakfast and program in 2022. For more information, contact WCCCInfo@mywccc.org.
CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY
Cedarville University will host a special Veterans Day chapel at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Dixon Ministry Center to recognize and honor veterans. The event is open to the public.
The program will include a color guard, provided by Cedarville’s ROTC organization, presentations from campus organization leaders, and from Dr. Daryl Smith, associate professor of management, a 24-year member of the United States Air Force.
The central element of the program is recognizing veterans, which is the final component of the service. Veterans are invited to the Jeremiah Chapel stage when the wind symphony plays their service song.
The service will be livestreamed, and it will also be available for access afterward on the Cedarville University chapel archives webpage.
TROY AGENCIES
The Miami Valley Veterans Museum and the Troy Miami County Public Library will co-sponsor a Meet a Veteran event Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the veterans’ museum, 2245 S. County Road 25A, Troy.
Local veterans will be on hand to meet visitors, and Civil War veteran George Green’s Congressional Medal of Honor will be on display.
WEST MILTON CHURCH
Hoffman United Methodist Church in West Milton will hold its annual Veterans Day program at 2 p.m. Saturday in the church activity center.
The public program will honor Union Twp. veterans and their families. A video was created to go along with stories submitted about veterans being featured. The main speaker will be Jim Wright, an Air Force veteran.
The program will be broadcast on YouTube under wmpatv. For more information, call Nancy Studebaker at 937-698-9967.
FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL
Franklin High School will hold its annual Veterans Day program on Friday. All area veterans are invited and encouraged to attend the event, which will begin at 9 a.m. in the FHS auditorium.
Veterans who plan to attend should arrive by 8:45 a.m. Friday. The program will last until approximately 10:30 a.m. and will be followed by a brief reception in the media center. Due to COVID precautions, the general public is invited to watch the livestream of the event on the Franklin Wildcat Football Facebook page.
This year’s keynote speaker is Brigadier Gen. Stephanie Ahern, Franklin High School Class of 1991. Since August 2020, she has served as the Director of Concepts, Futures and Concepts Center, Army Futures Command, in Austin, Texas.
FREE MEALS
Bob Evans restaurants are celebrating Veterans Day on Thursday by offering a free meal to veterans and active duty military members. There will be seven dishes to choose from for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Customers need to provide proof of service in order to enjoy a free meal. Accepted identification includes: US Uniformed Services ID Card, US Uniformed Services Retired Card, current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), veterans’ organization card (i.e. American Legion, VFW), photograph of yourself in uniform, wearing uniform, DD214, and citation or commendation.
FREE HAIRCUTS
On Thursday, veterans and active service members can go into any Great Clips salon and get a free haircut or a free haircut card for a future visit. In addition, non-military customers who get a haircut on Veterans Day at Great Clips salons can pay it forward. They will receive a free haircut card they can give to an active service member or veteran as a way of saying thank you. The cards can be redeemed for a free haircut from Nov. 12 through Dec. 10.
For more information about Great Clips’ Veterans Day campaign, visit greatclips.com/vets.