Ceremonies, parade scheduled to celebrate Veterans Day

Several local Veterans Day events will show support for troops and their families and friends today.

A Veterans Day program at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau is open to the public and will be held at 10:30 a.m. The colors will be presented by the American Legion, and Sen. Jason Crowell of Cape Girardeau will be the guest speaker. Musical performances will be provided by the St. Andrew Lutheran Church and Mary Bauer, Miss Jackson 2011.

"As time goes on we find more and more elderly veterans in nursing homes and residential care facilities, and it's really hard for them to get out and attend ordinary Veterans Day functions," said Pearla Smith, who is the volunteer coordinator for Southeast Hospice, which helped organize the event. "So we decided to bring the celebration to them."

Jackson's annual Veterans Day parade will be hosted by American Legion Post 158 and Jackson VFW Post 10495. The parade will depart the old high school building around four in the afternoon, then loop around downtown returning to the high school campus.

"There will be several local high school bands as well as a display of old military vehicles that have been collected and restored by members of the community," said Larry Koehler, who is the quartermaster for the VFW in Jackson.

Retired Col. Clarence W. Suedekum Jr. will speak at a ceremony and dinner honoring veterans at New McKendree United Methodist Church after the parade. Suedekum has earned the Army Commendation Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Missouri Long Service Medal and many others.

The public is also invited to attend a synchronized reading of the names of more than 6,200 service members who lost their lives during campaigns in the past decade. The event will take place from 9 to 5 p.m. in the University Center lobby of Southeast Missouri State University.

At Freedom Corner in Cape Girardeau, the Joint Veterans Council will pay tribute to POWs and MIAs. Marine Corps League 1081 will perform a rifle salute, and taps will be played while a commemorative wreath is placed. That event will be at 11 a.m.

Many area schools are also taking time out for Veterans Day assemblies, which will be highlighted by guest speakers such as Edward M. Bender, who is visiting Notre Dame Regional High School. He is a retired Air Force colonel who was raised in Cape Girardeau and enlisted in the military after Pearl Harbor. Scott City High School will also be hosting its Veterans Day assembly at 9 a.m. today. Both events encourage the attendance of veterans.