Next Thursday is Veterans Day and all across the United States, current and former military service members, their families, friends and supporters will gather to commemorate the occasion, including right here in Pahrump, where there will be two formal ceremonies held.
The first of the valley’s Veterans Day ceremonies will take place at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #10054, which has hosted its own event in honor of the holiday for many years running. This event will kick off at 11 a.m. and that timing is very significant for the members of the VFW. Veterans Day, once observed as Armistice Day, celebrates the signing of the armistice in World War I, which signaled the end of the fighting. That document was signed at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, hence Veterans Day’s place on the calendar and the VFW’s choice to hold its ceremony at 11 a.m.
The VFW ceremonies does not typically have an extensive program and is expected to include a few remarks from members of the post, including the commander, chaplain and others prominent among the group. There will be a formal changing of the flags, in which those banners that fly so proudly over the post will be solemnly removed and replaced by brand new flags, their colors bright and their patterns bold as they flash against the sky.
Following the ceremony at the VFW, the Disabled American Veterans Chapter #15 invites the community to head out to its observance, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the Pahrump Veterans Memorial inside the Chief Tecopa Cemetery.
As detailed in the program for the event, this ceremony will start with a welcome from DAV member Dr. Tom Waters and DAV Chapter #15 Commander Terry Janke. DAV Chaplain Doug Garlin will provide an invocation and the presentation of the colors will be performed by the Nye County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard. The audience will join the conductors of the ceremony in the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and sheriff’s office deputy Greg Curtain will sing the national anthem.
The guest speaker for the DAV’s Veterans Day ceremony will be someone who has a deep familiarity with the veteran population, as she is one herself and she also leads one of state’s veteran-centric entities. Nevada Department of Veterans Services Director Katherine “Kat” Miller is set to offer her take on Veterans Day and will undoubtedly contribute plenty of thoughtful words for audience members to ponder.
The DAV’s ceremony will then proceed with the Dog/ID Tag ceremony, with Jerry Dumont given the honor of performing that duty and the Nevada Silver Tappers will troop to the front of the venue to perform a dance routine specially geared toward honoring the men and women who have sacrificed so much to keep Americans safe and free. The ceremony will conclude with a benediction from Garlin and closing remarks from Waters.
The VFW’s Veterans Day Ceremony is set for Thursday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. at the post, 4651 Homestead Road.
The DAV’s Veterans Day Ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 11 at 4:30 p.m. at the Pahrump Veterans Memorial, 751 East Street.
Both ceremonies are open to the public.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com