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Veterans Day Parades Scheduled for All Three Islands

Nov. 9, 2006 — Parades, speeches and ceremonies will be the order of the day this Saturday as the territory gears up to celebrate Veterans Day by honoring those who have served, and continue to serve, the country with honor.
"Veterans are defenders of our liberty," said Office of Veterans Affairs Director Justin Harrigan, adding, they "have enabled us to have the freedoms we take for granted." Harrigan said the number of veterans in the territory continues to grow as we have more V.I. military personnel returning from duty. According to Harrigan, the territory has more than 6,000 veterans.
In a press release, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull acknowledged the enormous contributions made by veterans: "The citizens of our nation and territory continue to live in freedom because of the sacrifices made by those who served in the armed forces of the United States in time of national peril, especially those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Veterans Day parades and celebrations will be held on all three islands Saturday.
On St. Croix, members of the American Legion will commemorate the day with a parade beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Basin Triangle in Christiansted. District Commander Lawrence A. Bastian invites everyone to come out and "observe Veterans Day by honoring the men and women who have served their country in uniform."
Legion members will continue their tradition of visiting schools during this time of year and have scheduled Pearl B. Larsen, Claude O'Markoe, Eulalie R. Rivera, Alfredo Andrews, and Lew Muckle elementary schools for their rounds.
The island will also receive a visit from Army Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin L. Hill who helps train reserve soldiers and units in the eastern United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Hill will be speaking about veterans' issues Thursday on "The Peoples Pulse" on WTJX-Channel 12. On Friday, he'll visit with enlisted V.I. National Guard members at the District 10 American Legion Hall, and on Saturday morning will be the keynote speaker for the Veterans Day ceremony.
On St. Thomas, the Office of Veterans Affairs and American Legion Post No. 90 will host a range of activities. A parade begins at 3 p.m. at Addelita Cancryn Junior High School with a program scheduled to begin immediately after the parade at Emancipation Garden.
St. John, home to 100 veterans, will have its own activities hosted by American Legion Post No. 131. "This will be our fifth year," said Adj. Paul Devine. "This is the biggest holiday for the legion, and we usually get a pretty good turnout."
Devine said the St. John parade will begin at 10 a.m. at the National Park bulkhead in Cruz Bay and that a remembrance is scheduled immediately after the parade at Frank Powell Sr. Memorial Park.
Veterans Day, as it is currently known, is the American name for the international day called Armistice Day, which marks the anniversary of the official end of World War I on Nov. 11, 1918. Armistice Day became an official holiday in 1938 and is observed annually on Nov 11. without regard for the day of the week it falls on.
Some V.I. businesses will shut down in honor of the day, including Virgin Islands Community Bank, Banco Popular and all post offices in the territory.
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