Veterans Day: “A Reminder We Should Thank Them Every Day”

With a special fly over and flag raising the first big Veterans Day event begins.

The Civic Center was the venue for community leaders and members alike to come together and reflect on the day.

Speeches from Senator John Hoeven and the Mayors of Fargo, Moorhead and Dilworth ranged from congratulations and recognition to personal stories of how veterans have affected their lives.

“We’ve been very blessed in the Fargo–Moorhead area, North Dakota and Minnesota in general have such a great population of people who do support our veterans,” said American Legion Post 2 Commander, Christopher Hanson. “It is a wonderful thing to see people out showing their gratitude and thanks.”

The event was also the first of many concerts given by the Red River Valley Veterans Concert Band.

The Veterans Day Ceremony held at the Fargo Civic Center is arguably the largest event for Veterans Day in the area and what goes on there helps set the tone for the rest of the events that come after.

“We’re the first big event that happens after the Veterans Day Ceremony,” said Hanson.

American Legion Post 2 throws their annual Stew Feed and Concert as stop number two for many veterans celebrating.

“It’s a tradition we’ve had always to host a celebration of Veterans Day and serve some beef stew and have a concert and just do a little bit with Veterans Day and make sure everybody knows exactly what,” said Hanson.

The event is also stop number two for the Concert Band.

Once everyone is well fed, the band counts in.

The F–M area has no shortage of veterans support and celebrations for the holiday but as Christopher Hanson and many others who spoke at these events emphasized, celebrating veterans isn’t something restricted to once a year.

“It’s not the single day to thank a veteran,” explained Hanson. “It’s a reminder that we should thank our veterans every day for their service. You know, we don’t have to take just one day to thank the veterans for their service or the things they’ve done for their country. It’s a reminder that we have veterans all around us that we need to be thanking.”

So take time on this day to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for us and that many who take the same risks walk among us every day.