Alabama NewsCenter — Alabamians celebrate National Veterans Day

By Shirley Jackson

Veterans Day will be celebrated in communities throughout the state and nation Thursday, Nov. 11. The day honors those who have served in the U.S. armed forces.

Birmingham is home to the nation’s oldest, longest and largest Veterans Day parade. World War II veteran Raymond Weeks, who was from Birmingham, wanted to organize an event to honor all veterans, not just those who died in World War I and were honored on Armistice Day each Nov. 11. America’s first Veterans Day celebration occurred in Birmingham in 1947, and the holiday officially replaced Armistice Day in 1954. Weeks was director of the National Veterans Day Celebration for 38 years and, in 1982, received the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Ronald Reagan.

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