Organizations offer national-level 2020 Veterans Day virtual events

Several national level organizations are hosting 2020 Veterans Day virtual events due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Below is a list of events, which will be updated as new information is available:

Musicians On Call

Musicians On Call is performing a special virtual concert for hospitalized Veterans. The concert will feature artists including Brad Paisley, Terri Clark, Leon Bridges, Chris Janson, Michael Ray, Charles Esten, Jimmie Allen, Scotty McCreery, Walker County and Alexis Wilkins. Artists will be dedicating songs to Veterans and caregivers and offering messages of support. Starting Nov 9, Veterans and caregivers can access the concert at www.musiciansoncall.org/VeteransDay. The concert is presented by Musicians on Call, a nonprofit organization that delivers live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities.

National Veterans Day Observance

VA Secretary Robert Wilkie hosts the National Veterans Day Observance Nov. 11 at Arlington National Cemetery. The U.S. Army Military District of Washington will conduct a Presidential Armed Forces Full Honor Wreath-Laying Ceremony. The nation’s 67th Veterans Day Observance will honor the men and women who have served and continue to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces during war and peacetime.

The ceremony starts precisely at 11 a.m. with a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns, and honors and thanks all who served in the U.S. uniformed services. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response has compelled VA and its partners (Arlington Cemetery and Military District of Washington) to host a greatly reduced ceremony this year.

VA will live stream the ceremony at https://www.facebook.com/VeteransAffairs. People can also view at this link.

Within 24 hours following the ceremony, people can view photos from the Armed Forces Full Honor Wreath Ceremony at https://apd.smugmug.com/Events/Nov-2020/n-CNjgGX/AFFHWC-iho-Veterans-Day.

World War II Memorial

Beginning at 9 a.m. Nov. 11, the Friends of the National World War II Memorial and the National Park Service will pay tribute to the more than 16 million men and women who served with the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II during a special Veterans Day event hosted virtually and at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

At 9:00 a.m., a pre-recorded ceremony will be streamed via the Friends Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WWIIMemorialFriends.

National Veterans Memorial and Museum

The National Veterans Memorial and Museum offers an online ceremony at 10 a.m. Eastern Time live on Facebook and YouTube. The program includes messages and remarks from Marine Corps and Navy Veteran and Emmy-winning talk show host Montel Williams; Army Veteran and President and CEO of Big Lots, Inc. Bruce Thorn; and Army Veteran and NVMM President and CEO Michael Ferriter.

NVMM’s Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/NationalVeteransMemorialandMuseum/ and its YouTube page is at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCixPiGqTSLPAjjY4PKRMndg.

For those near Columbus, admission is free for U.S. military Veterans, active-duty military members and Gold Star families.

Vietnam Veterans Wall ceremony

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s Veterans Day Ceremony at The Wall will be an online ceremony only.

The virtual commemoration is at 1 p.m. Eastern. Visit https://www.vvmf.org/honorservice for more details.

NYC Vets Day Parade

Navy Veteran and president of Student Veterans of America Jared Lyon is the grand marshall for the 2020 NYC Vets Day Parade.

A motorized convoy of 120 vehicles will muster and roll down a portion of the traditional parade route. The parade also features a Virtual Line of March, which will recreate the Parade experience online. On Veterans Day, the group will release one profile (text and images) of a regular Parade participant every 45-60 seconds on its nycvetsparade Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/NYCVetsParade/ and the Twitter account is at https://twitter.com/nycvetsparade.

The group also has Marching Orders, which are 11 activities Veterans and/or their supporters can do on-screen or at-home, either by themselves or with a socially distanced group. More information is at https://parade.uwvc.org/plans/marching-orders/.

Student Veterans of America

Student Veterans of America offers ideas on planning a pandemic-friendly Veterans Day event. They also have a list of campuses across the country hosting events. To learn more, visit https://studentveterans.org/news/veterans-day-on-your-campus/.

Team RWB Workout of the Day

Every Veterans Day, hundreds of Veterans and supporters participate in #WOD4Warriors, a functional fitness workout with Team RWB. Participants can join in virtually this year by completing the event from home. Visit www.teamrwb.org/w4w to register, access a training plan, and view the full, adaptive, and partner workout options.

Other events

For more events, including many state and local ceremonies, see https://www.va.gov/outreach-and-events/events/.