SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - Today is Veterans Day, when the country honors those who have served or are currently serving our nation as a member of the armed forces. Many communities will have ceremonies taking place to honor these men and women.
In Sheboygan County, the majority of them will be at area schools. Below are four that are open to the public.
SHEBOYGAN: This year’s observance for the Sheboygan Area School District will be at North High School starting at 9:30 a.m.
The observance will have the traditional reading of the names of veterans from the city who have passed away over the past year, lying of a wreath at the tomb of the unknown, and a firing salute.
PLYMOUTH: The Plymouth School District will have two ceremonies taking place for the public this morning. The first will be at the Plymouth High School Auditorium starting at 9 a.m.
"(The) purpose of the assembly and ceremony is to honor all the veterans in the area that have served either abroad or within our country, and have sacrificed their lives and time to give us the privileges the freedoms we have right now," says Andy Novak, high school associate principal.
Also at 11 a.m. family members and veterans are invited to attend a ceremony at Parkview Elementary that will honor veterans.
ELKHART LAKE-GLENBEULAH: The school district in northeast Sheboygan County will have a in-school event for elementary students at the start of the school day.
Superintendent Ann Buechel-Haack add the public Veterans Day ceremony will start at 9 a.m. at the high school gym. "
We will have a program featuring our band and choir, but then we also have guest speaker U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Brian Stout. He’s a distinguished military graduate from Ripon College, and he was deployed to Somalia and Saudi Arabia."
She adds the high school’s culinary classes will also provide a meal for veterans who have signed up for it in advance.
RANDOM LAKE: The school district in southwest Sheboygan County has a unique Veterans Day ceremony compared to most other districts in our area. Superintendent Tom Malmstadt says the entire district student body gets involvedin the ceremony, which will begin at 9:15 a.m.
"We ask each division to dress in a color, either red, white, or blue, as they sit in the stands," says Malmstadt. "Our band plays the national anthem. We have some of our younger elementary students do the Pledge of Allegiance. Our choir is going to be singing America the Beautiful."
The guest speaker for this year will be retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Gerald Clusen, and veterans are invited to stay for lunch following the service.
There are also celebrations planned at Sunny Ridge and Rocky Knoll in Sheboygan County to honor veterans who are currently living at these facilities.