Yesterday wasn’t just any Sunday. Nov. 11 is Veterans Day – a.k.a. the day set aside to honor the brave men + women who have fought to protect our country. If you didn’t celebrate yesterday, don’t worry – the holiday is nationally observed today.

The holiday (originally called “Armistice Day”) was first observed on the first anniversary of the end of WWI (Nov. 11, 1919). In 1926, Congress passed a resolution for an annual observance of the day, but it wasn’t until 1938 that the day officially became a national holiday. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower changed the name to “Veterans Day” to honor all veterans, not just those who served in WWI.

DYK:

🇺🇸16.1 million veterans alive today have served in 1+ war

🇺🇸~558,000 of the Americans who fought in WWII are still alive

🇺🇸Canada, Great Britain, Australia + France also celebrate the veterans of WWI + WWII on (or near) Nov. 11

To celebrate the holiday, we asked you to send us your favorite local veterans so we could honor them today. We got 12 submissions of local heroes – from Clyde H., who served as a PFC in the 30th Infantry Division in WWI, to David Cameron W. who served in Afghanistan and shared a picture from 2009.

See them all – plus find out how you can celebrate locally today.

👤David W.

📍 Served in Vietnam

👤 Cameron David W.

📍Served in Afghanistan. Son of David W., above.

Cameron David W., 2009 | Submitted by David W.

👤 Jim H.

📍Served in Vietnam. This was his “home office” for a little over 3 yrs. Boat shop, USS Mars (1970).

👤 Clyde H.

📍”My great-uncle, my paternal granddad's half brother, was in combat as a PFC in the 30th Infantry Division, aka Old Hickory, in WWl. They are credited with breaking the Hindenberg line in France in 1918. Post-war he become a insurance agent and real estate developer in Raleigh and Chapel Hill. He married Mrs. Louise M. of Weaverville in 1924, and in 1936 they donated Lake Louise and surroundings to the town. He was the the first person I ever heard refer to The Great War as 'Big Mistake One'.”

– Submitted by Jim H., above

👤 Lee H.

📍“My uncle was in the USN in WW2, as an Aviation Bosun's Mate 2/c. He flew on anti-submarine patrols out of North Africa. He went on to work for Eastern Airlines.”– Submitted by Jim H., above

👤 Doward G.

📍”Our Dad SFC Doward G. was a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He died Monday, November 5, 2018 and would have turned 91 on Thanksgiving Day.”

👤 Robert T.

📍 “Served in the Vietnam War September 1967–October 1968, in the U.S. Marines. After serving, he was a Firefighter for the City of Dayton, Ohio, for 25 years. He has been retired for eighteen years and we moved to the Asheville area two-and-a-half years ago. He is also a cancer survivor! We have four children and one grandchild, and she is the reason we moved. We will be celebrating our 46th anniversary this month. We love the mountains and fresh air and of course the restaurants and breweries!”

👤Gerald W.

📍 Served in the U.S. Army from 1980 to 2001.

👤 Shim W.

📍 “Staff sergeant, spent 8 years as an infantryman. This picture is from 2005 in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. Shim is medically retired due to wounds received in contact with the enemy. He attended Erwin High School (Class of 2003), and is native and local.”

👤 Gordon M.

📍”Served in the U.S. Army during Korean War (1952-1957). Born in Barnardsville, N.C., and lived in Woodfin, N.C. all of his adult life.”

👤 Charles Lendon C.

📍 “Served in the Army in World War II. Originally from Mars Hill. His twin Ralph Quentin C. joined the Marines and was killed at Iwo Jima.” – Submitted by Lynne C.

👤 Donald B.

📍”Served in the Vietnam War. Picture from 1960.”

How to celebrate today 🇺🇸

The nearby town of Weaverville is hosting its annual Veterans Day Observance at 11 a.m. today at Lake Louise. Military veterans + active members will be honored and guest speaker Joe Root, former Captain of the U.S. Army, will speak.

You could also honor local vets today by donating to Asheville’s Veterans Affairs Hospital. Monetary contributions are welcomed (call 828-299-2514), but they also accept items such as large-print crosswords, coffee, cookies, gardening supplies, various clothing items + bird seed.

There are ongoing opportunities to give your time as a volunteer at the VA to help those who served our country, on Veterans Day or otherwise. Click here for info on how to sign up.

Multiple restaurants + businesses are offering specials today for veterans + active duty members as a thank you for their service:

🗽 Milk & Honey Organic Cafe | 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | 200 Julian Ln. | Free juice or smoothie for veterans or active military

🗽 Simple Cafe and Juice Bar | 8 a.m.–5 p.m. | 643 Haywood Rd. | Free drink with military ID

🗽Military Veterans Night at Hillman Beer | 4-10 p.m. | 25 Sweeten Creek Rd. | $1 from every beer purchased will go to the N.C. Outward Bound Veterans Scholarships Program

🗽Veterans Day Discount at Farm Burger | 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. | 10 Patton Ave. and 1831 Hendersonville Rd. | Vets get 10% off; bring your veteran ID or another form of identification

🗽Calabash Chicken at Fatz Cafe | 11 a.m.–11 p.m. | 5 Spartan Ave. | Veterans + active military get a free calabash chicken basket and 25% off of their bill through November

🗽Veteran Meet and Greet | 9–10 a.m. | Reuter Family YMCA | 3 Town Square Blvd. | w/ speaker Command Sergeant Major (RET) Gretchen Evans, who will share her story and her upcoming memoir Leading from the Front. Light refreshments provided.

🗽Veterans’ Juried Exhibition | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Asheville Area Arts Council | Works from the AAAC’s Arts and Wellness Program for veterans will be on display through the end of the month.

Here are several more restaurants offering a free or discounted meal to veterans or active military today.

Here at AVLtoday, we want to say thank you to all of Asheville + N.C.’s veterans + active duty military. We salute you.

– Ali + the AVLtoday team