Veterans Day plans march forward

Discharge paper service available for veterans

Military veterans are invited to file their original discharge papers with the Douglas County Register of Deeds office.

There is no charge for the service, Register of Deeds Kay Pesnell said. The most common document proving a veteran’s active military service is called the DD 214 form.

Veterans are urged by the armed forces to record their discharge papers in the county where they reside for safekeeping. Doing so can make it easier for the veteran to get a certified copy of their record should they need to apply for benefits.

With few exceptions, Kansas has limited access to military records to the dischargee and his or her immediate family members. Pesnell said her office makes every effort to ensure that personal information is protected.

The filing is done while the veteran waits, and five copies are provided at no charge.

The register’s office is on the third floor of the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Mass. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call 832-5282.

Veterans Day is Tuesday, but in Lawrence a series of events paying tribute to military veterans begins today and will continue through the weekend.

Parades with hundreds of entries will be Saturday in Ottawa and Tuesday in Leavenworth.

More than 150 students in Kansas University’s Air Force, Army and Navy ROTC programs will participate in campus events. They start at 4 p.m. today with a flag retreat in front of Strong Hall.

The American flag will be lowered and folded in a military ceremony.

“It’s a ‘retreat’ in that it shuts down your day. It ends your typical business day,” said Maj. Gary Marsteller, commandant of cadets in the Air Force ROTC program.

Following the retreat a reception and program will take place in Budig Hall. The guest speaker will be Adrian Lewis, professor of history and director of the Office of Military Graduate Education.

At 7 p.m. a lamp-lighting ceremony will precede 24-hour watch vigils at the Korean and Vietnam war memorials and the World War II Memorial Campanile. Two ROTC members will stand guard for one-hour periods at the memorials, ending at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Also on Saturday will be a new event, a 5K run to benefit Veterans Upward Bound program. Entry fee is $15 and registration begins at 7 a.m. in the Burge Union. The national program is dedicated to developing professional staff to work with veterans in a variety of initiatives.

On Saturday downtown Ottawa will be the site of what organizers claim will be the largest Veterans Day parade in the state. At least 300 entries will be in the parade, including the grand marshals, the Patriot Guard motorcycle organization. From 100 to 200 Guards could participate, said Sherry Wright, one of the parade organizers. The parade starts at 10:45 a.m. At 11 a.m. the parade will stop for a ceremony at the Franklin County Veterans Memorial by the courthouse.

The annual “Healing Field of Flags” will again be set up today in Forest Park. Some 700 flags honoring veterans will be on display through the weekend.

Saturday afternoon and Sunday there will be Civil War and World War II battle demonstrations in the park.

Leavenworth claims to have the nation’s oldest regional Veterans Day observance. It will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday starting at Fourth and Cherokee streets. The grand marshal will be Charles Gregor. Gregor is an Army veteran of the Vietnam War.

Because of the Delaware streetscape project, the parade will be rerouted from Delaware to Shawnee, east at Fourth and Cherokee on Esplanade to Shawnee, west on Shawnee to Seventh Street and south on Seventh to Cherokee.

In Lawrence on Tuesday, the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans organizations will combine for a ceremony at the Legion’s Dorsey-Liberty Post 14, 3408 W. Sixth St. Taps will be played and an honor guard will fire a three-round volley. The ceremony starts at 11:11 a.m., which marks signing of the Armistice that ended World War I at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918.