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San Antonians Will Honor Military Veterans Across the City

Eileen Pace

Fort Sam National Cemetery

Veterans and other military personnel will be honored at a special ceremony at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the assembly area of the Fort Sam National Cemetery, 1520 Harry Wurzbach. The keynote speaker will be James Cunningham, president of the Alamo chapter of the Military Officer’s of Association of America. 

Vietnam Wall Traveling Memorial

The Vietnam Traveling Wall will go on public display Tuesday at Fort Sam Houston starting at 3 p.m. on MacArthur Parade Field and will remain on display until Saturday morning. The Wall is an 80 percent scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C., owned by American Veterans Traveling Tribute. The Wall will be available to view 24 hours a day. Paper and pencils will be available for anyone who wishes to do etchings.

Access to the Wall for those without a military ID card will be via a post pass obtained through Fort Sam Houston's Visitors Centers at Harry Wurzbach and Walters.  All visitors 16-years-old and older must have avalid government-issued picture identification.  Vehicle drivers will need a valid license plus proof of insurance and vehicle registration.

Salute to Veterans Ceremony

Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston will be hosting the Salute to Veterans Ceremony on Friday at the MacArthur Parade Field. The ceremony will feature soldiers bearing the colors of every major unit on Fort Sam, a battery cannon salute, music from the 323rd Army Band, special recognition of Vietnam Veterans and a flyover of a vintage WWII-era aircraft. The ceremony is open to the public through Harry Wurzbach gate beginning at 10 a.m. Friday.

Stinson Municipal Airport

Some area veterans will be treated to “dream flights” as part of the Stinson Municipal Airport Veterans Day celebration. The event begins with a ceremony at 9 a.m. featuring City Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran, Rep. Rick Galindo and former mayor Phil Hardberger. Dream Flights will begin at 10 a.m., with Hardberger, as U.S. Air Force Veteran, and Lt. Col. Richard Cole, one of two surviving Doolittle Tokyo Raiders, both lined up as recipients. The flights are to be provided by Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation, a non-profit organization that offers the flights free to senior U.S. military veterans, which uses one of three fully restored Boeing Stearman biplanes, the same aircraft used to train military aviators in the early ‘30s and ‘40s. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the airport located at 8535 Mission Road.

UTSA

The University of Texas at San Antonio will honor active duty military personnel and veterans with a series of events beginning Nov. 11 and scheduled through the end of November. UTSA has partnered with the San Antonio Chamber’s ‘Celebrate America’s Military Initiative,’ a two-week tribute to the U.S. Military. The celebration will begin with a wreath-laying ceremony and national roll call with a moment of silence to honor those service members who have died in the line of duty. That ceremony is at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at UTSA’s main campus in the central plaza or at 11 a.m. at the downtown campus in the Buena Vista building. For a list of other events check here

Institute of Texan Cultures

The Institute of Texan Cultures will host Brandeis High School’s Advanced Placement U.S. History class for the opening of “Honoring Texas Military Members,” their student-produced exhibit of shadow boxes and oral histories.

The student exhibit is a companion piece to the museum’s “Our Part of Victory: Texas in World War II.” “Honoring Texas Military Members” will be on display through Feb. 28 and “Our Part of Victory” will continue into January 2016. The student exhibit opening will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11 at the Institute, 801 E. César E. Chávez Blvd.

Palo Alto College

Palo Alto College is hosting its annual Veterans Day Ceremony recognizing students, faculty, and staff members who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the central courtyard at the college, 1400 W. Villaret Boulevard.

This event will include a reception. It’s free and open to the public. The college has nearly 700 veterans or VA-eligible family members using their educational benefits at the college, along with an office and staff dedicated to providing services to its military community.