BATON ROUGE – You are cordially invited to attend the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs (LDVA) Veterans Day Ceremony being held at the Louisiana Veterans Memorial Park, located at 900 State Capitol Drive, at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11.

This year, Nov. 11 marks the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, and the LDVA wants to honor both the men and women that have made sacrifices for our country and the families that have supported them along the way.

“This ceremony will be the perfect opportunity for Louisianians to thank a Veteran and to remind them that our state appreciates the sacrifices they made to help secure the freedoms we all enjoy,” said LDVA Secretary Joey Strickland. “I encourage all of you to join us at LDVA’s Veterans Day Ceremony on Nov. 11.”

LDVA’s Veterans Day Ceremony will be held each year on November 11th at the Louisiana Veterans Memorial Park. The ceremony will commence precisely at 11:00 a.m. which is the time when hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.”

The entire event will take place from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at the Louisiana Veterans Memorial Park, which is located adjacent to the State Capitol. LDVA’s ceremony is intended to honor and thank all who served in the United States Armed Forces.

The LDVA encourages ceremony attendees to download the Bells of Peace app which offers people an opportunity to join in a simultaneous tolling, from all the phones running the app. As the built-in countdown timer reaches 11 a.m. local time, bells will toll from every device, together, 21 times, in a remembrance of the moment, exactly 100 years ago, when the war finally ceased.

Hundreds of people from around the state are expected to attend this dedication ceremony, including Veterans, service men and women from across generations and branches of service, military families, school groups, and several veteran service organizations (VSO’s).

The ceremony will include remarks by LDVA Secretary Joey Strickland, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, Purple Heart Recipient Rick O’Brien, a moving rendition of Amazing Grace by Kent Howard, and the playing of TAPS by Navy Veteran Gidget McIntyre.

Family members of local Veterans will also be a part of the ceremony, including: Ascension Christian High School eighth-grader Chloe Robbins offering the invocation, U.S. Naval Sea Cadets posting the colors, St. Joseph’s Academy Senior Alex Thibodeaux performing the National Anthem, Live Oak Middle School fifth-grader Joey Mullins leading the Pledge of Allegiance, and Trinity Episcopal Day School third-grader Locke Brackin helping to lead the Armed Forces Medley.

To keep up with the latest event information, please follow our LDVA Veterans Day Ceremony Facebook Page. For additional questions or concerns, please reach out to LDVA Communications Director, Ms. Alex Juan, at (225) 281-7833.

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