Elden Lovelett remembers the date by heart — Sept. 8, 1944.

That was the day a hand grenade blew up part of his right leg, while he was fighting with the Army infantry in France.

“I was lucky it was a small grenade,” he said. “If it was a big one, I could have lost both legs.”

Lovelett, of Eudora, was among those across Lawrence and the nation observing Veterans Day on Tuesday. He attended a ceremony at the American Legion, 3408 W. Sixth St., that was organized by the legion, Disabled American Veterans and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

“Too many people are forgetting” the service of veterans, Lovelett said. “If it wasn’t for us vets, we wouldn’t have the freedoms we have today. A lot of young people don’t feel it’s their duty to serve. But they don’t realize we’ve fought for their freedom to say, ‘I don’t want to do that.'”

About 125 people gathered at the American Legion for the ceremony, which marked the 49th anniversary of the holiday. Congress — pushed by an Emporia merchant and U.S. representative — first declared Nov. 11 Veterans Day in 1954. It previously was called Armistice Day, in recognition of the end of World War I on Nov. 11, 1918.

Capt. Richard High, professor of naval science for Kansas University’s ROTC program, was the keynote speaker. He said that when he arrived earlier this year at KU, he interviewed each midshipman about why he or she chose to enter the military. About half attributed the decision to the service of a grandparent.

“What I see when I look around this country today is an attitude toward service and a pride in troops that is awesome,” High said.

At Kansas University

Jimmie Gill, left, who served in the U.S. Air Force, and Walter Bryant, who was in the U.S. Army, talk over old stories during Veterans Day ceremonies at the American Legion Dorsey-Liberty Post No. 14, 3408 W. Sixth St. Veterans from the area attended ceremonies Tuesday at the post to commemorate Veterans Day.

Tuesday afternoon, about 115 people — mostly ROTC members at KU — gathered for KU’s annual Veterans Day ceremony.

The speaker, Col. James Riley, a retired Air Force pilot who lives in Derby, told the group about the evolution of the planes he flew during World War II, and later on Cold War mapping missions.

Andy Giebler, an Air Force cadet and junior from Hoisington, said Veterans Day was both a day to reflect on past service members’ work and to look forward to their own service.

“In college, some people like to complain that they have three tests and they studied until 2 in the morning,” he said. “But World War II was fought by kids my age and younger than me. And there are people out there serving today.”

Elsewhere in Kansas

¢ 6News video: Veterans honored for service to country

Across Kansas, veterans and their supporters gathered to commemorate the holiday.

In Topeka, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius placed a wreath in front of the Veterans Memorial on the south side of the Capitol and read the names of soldiers from Kansas or stationed in Kansas who died in Iraq.

During the half-hour ceremony, she presented folded American flags to the families of two Kansans who died in Iraq: Spc. Kyle G. Thomas, of Topeka, and Pfc. Ryan R. Cox, of Derby. Sebelius also honored two others, Spc. Dustin K. McGaugh, of Derby, and Sgt. Jacob Wells, of Wellsville.

After the ceremony, Sebelius said Americans were concerned about how long the United States would keep troops in Iraq.

An honor guard fires a salute during Veterans Day ceremonies at the American Legion.

“I think there’s a real worry about how many places we can have Americans,” she told reporters. “We have troops in Bosnia. We have troops in Afghanistan. We have a lot of troops in Iraq. They want more troops in Iraq, and how we’re going to be able to sustain that level for an indefinite period of time, I think, is a huge concern.”

In Wichita, Boeing unveiled a veterans monument dedicated to aircraft workers.

And in Emporia — which first celebrated Veterans Day in 1953 — Veterans Day ceremonies were a mix of old and new. On one float in Tuesday’s parade, soldiers recently returned from Iraq and those who survived World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War sat next to each other.

Emporia merchant Alvin J. King first pushed for Veterans Day to be a national holiday, with the support of U.S. Rep. Ed Rees, also of Emporia.

Members of Kansas University's ROTC units salute the American flag as it is lowered in front of Strong Hall.

“That is why we have our 50th (anniversary) this year and the others have to wait until next year,” said Richard McCoy, a World War II Marine who remembered the 1953 parade. “The first thing was about the name change (from Armistice Day) and the next year was when they started thinking about all the veterans.”

— The Associated Press contributed information to this report.

Juanita Hunter, of the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary, helps fold a flag at the American Legion Dorsey-Liberty Post, 3408 W. Sixth St. The post conducted a Veterans Day ceremony Tuesday.