Variety of events scheduled to honor veterans

Several area events are planned this week as part of Veterans Day, which is Thursday.

Offices to be closed

State and federal offices will be closed Thursday in observance of Veterans Day along with Douglas County District Court.

But City of Lawrence, McLouth and Douglas County administrative offices will be open.

City offices will be closed in most area towns, including Ottawa, Tonganoxie, Baldwin City, Oskaloosa, De Soto and Eudora. County offices in Franklin, Jefferson and Leavenworth counties will be closed.

The U.S. Postal Service will not make regular deliveries, and post offices will be closed.

Banks will be closed.

The Lawrence Workforce Center, 2540 Iowa, will be closed.

Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt., will be open.

Lawrence Meals on Wheels will not make deliveries Thursday or Friday.

Senior Services of Douglas County will not be affected, and the Lawrence Senior Center, 745 Vt., will be open.

UPS and FedEx will make deliveries.

USA Today will be delivered, as will the Lawrence Journal-World.

Leaders of veterans groups said the holiday is important to express thanks to current military members who are serving or have served in Afghanistan and Iraq and to remember older veterans, including ones of World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

“There are too many people who I think have forgotten that we’re in harm’s way,” said Hank Sipple, commander of the Lawrence American Legion Dorsey-Liberty Post No. 14.

Area Veterans Day and military events this week include:

• The 235th birthday celebration of the founding of the Marine Corps will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, on Kansas University’s West Campus. Lawrence resident and retired Navy Capt. John W. Newsom, 91, who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, is scheduled to be the guest speaker. The ceremony is open to the public.

• The Leavenworth annual Veterans Day parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in downtown Leavenworth. The parade route begins at Fourth and Cherokee streets.

• The Lawrence American Legion’s annual ceremony will be at 11:11 a.m. Thursday at the post, 3408 W. Sixth St. In addition to guest speakers, the ceremony will close with a rifle volley salute outside by the post’s honor guard.

• The Lawrence Veterans of Foreign Wars post’s ceremony will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the post, 138 Ala. Billie Marie Carey, a sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserves who has served two tours in Iraq, will be the speaker. Carey is a Lawrence High School and Haskell Indian Nations graduate and current Kansas University student studying pre-law.

The Haskell Veterans Club and Color Guard will be part of the ceremony.

• KU’s Air Force, Army and Navy ROTC units will observe Veterans Day with several events this weekend. A flag-lowering ceremony on the lawn of Strong Hall begins at 4 p.m. Friday, followed by a ceremony in room 110 of Budig Hall featuring retired Army Maj. Gen. Fred D. Robinson.

• ROTC units will participate in a 24-hour vigil beginning at 7 p.m. Friday at the three war memorials on Memorial Drive — the campanile, plus the Korean War and Vietnam War memorials.

• A 5K Veterans Day run begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday in front of Burge Union. Registration is $15.

• The ROTC units will take part in the USO-style Tribute to Veterans from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday at the Dole Institute. The event includes live music from the Moonlight Serenade Orchestra. Space for the event is limited, and the deadline to register was Monday.