Veterans Day activities set in Charleston, Mattoon
MATTOON — Several public special events are set for the long Veterans Day weekend, including commemorations of local POW/MIA service members and Eastern Illinois University's only known Medal of Honor recipient.
These events also will include the traditional ceremonies on Veterans Day in Charleston and in Mattoon, where a parade from downtown to Peterson Park is planned once again.
Black Tiger Honor Guard
This traveling honor guard will perform a ceremony honoring veterans during a special event at 1 p.m. Saturday in the garden outside the Mattoon Moose Lodge, 1212 Broadway Ave. The event also will include the changing of the post's flag and recognition of its Valued Veteran of the Year.
"Coles County Answers the Call" exhibit
The Coles County Historical Society's ongoing exhibit of artifacts and information regarding the history of local veterans from the Civil War to Vietnam will be open 1-4 p.m. Saturday in the museum at the Mattoon train depot, 1718 Broadway Ave.
POW/MIA Chair of Honor ceremony
The Rolling Thunder, Illinois 3 organization will dedicate a missing man chair in remembrance of local prisoner of war and missing in action services member during this event at 2 p.m. Saturday at the historical society's museum, where the chair will remain on display afterward.
"Everyone is invited to attend to show their respect for our military POWs and MIAs," said Historical Society member Carolyn Cloyd. "Please join us."
Mattoon Veterans Day Parade
The parade will begin at 10:15 a.m. Monday at Western Avenue and 21st Street. The procession will travel east on Western and Broadway Avenue to the Vietnam memorial at the southwest corner of Peterson Park. There, Mattoon's American Legion and VFW posts will hold a ceremony at 11 a.m.
EIU Medal of Honor recipient memorial
The ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Monday in Old Main's Cougill Foyer will honor all EIU veterans, with a special recognition planned for Medal of Honor recipient Major Carlos Ogden. The Fairmount native was drafted into the Army during World War II and commanded an infantry company.
"Near Cherbourg, France, on the morning of June 25, 1944, Ogden single-handedly eliminated one heavy enemy gun, and two machine gun emplacements aimed at his command. Despite being seriously wounded in the process, Ogden did not stop until he accomplished his mission," EIU said of how Ogden earned the Medal of Honor. He died at age 83 in 2001.
Courthouse square ceremony
Charleston's American Legion and VFW Posts will hold their event at 11 a.m. Monday on the square. This ceremony, like others that day, marks when an armistice ended World War I at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. The subsequent Armistice Day holiday later became Veterans Day.
U.S. military memorabilia display
An annual display of thousands of individual items from World War I to Afghanistan and Iraq has opened in a storefront in the Cross County Mall, next to Glik's, and will remain open through November. This display has been presented for three years now by Denny Thornton of Cumberland County.
Coles County marks Veterans Day 2023Photos and stories from Veterans Day events in Coles County.
The 2023 Charleston Middle School Veterans Day Program was held on Friday, Nov. 10.The commemorations on Saturday in Mattoon included a parade, an American Legion and VFW ceremony at Peterson Park, and a Black Tiger Honor Guard ceremony at the Moose Lodge.
Top StoryKim White became the first female veteran to receive the Charleston Middle School Veterans Day Program's Honored Veteran award.
Contact Rob Stroud at (217) 238-6861.
