Texas Veterans Day Parade Scheduled for Nov 4 in Abilene

The Taylor County Veterans Service Office is hosting the 2023 Veterans Day Parade on Saturday, November 4. In previous years the parade has been held on November 11 at 11 a.m. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic a few years ago, some adjustments were made and now remain.

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Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11 every year in the United States to honor and appreciate all men and women who served the United States Military in all wars. The holiday was originally known as "Armistice Day" and observed on the first anniversary of the 1918 armistice that ended World War I.

The armistice was signed between Germany and the Allied nations at 5:45 a.m. on November 11, 1918. The signing of the treaty signaled the end of World War I. The major hostilities of World War I formally ended on the 11th of November. President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11th would be celebrated as Armistice Day with parades, public speeches, two minutes of silence, and a pause in business at 11:00 a.m.

The time was chosen to commemorate the moment when the war ended on the Western Front of World War I at precisely 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor all American veterans who served their country in all wars.

In keeping the tradition going, some communities throughout the United States close businesses and schools on Veterans Day. The Taylor County Veterans honor all our West Texas veterans every year with a parade and some festivities throughout the Big Country.

In addition to parades, church services are organized, and in many places, the American flag is hung at half-mast in remembrance of those who gave their life for the freedoms we enjoy.

Those wanting to participate in the parade must get their entries into the Taylor County Veterans office ASAP. Bryan Massey of the office: "Our veterans need to be recognized, as this annual parade salutes the men and women who have served our nation in the Armed Services."

For additional information or parade route, visit the Taylor County Texas Veterans Services website or taylorcounty.texas.gov, or contact Victor Bruns at 325-674-1328.