In Chièvres, the ceremony will start at 11 a.m. in front of the monument. (U.S. Army photo by Julie Piron)

Honoring War heroes on Nov. 11

In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, World War I hostilities ended. Nov. 11 became Armistice Day, a universally recognized day of commemoration honoring not only the military victims of both wars but also the civilian ones.

In the United States, Nov. 11 is called Veterans Day, an opportunity to remember and thank veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Ever though the name differs, the goal is similar: honor the memory of the allied soldiers, resistance fighters and civilians who served during both world wars.
Many Belgian cities will host a commemoration on Monday.

The following ceremonies will be held in the local community:

• Chièvres: The ceremony will start at 11 a.m. in front of the monument (on the square).

• Brugelette: The event will start with a religious service at the Brugelette church at 10 a.m., followed by three flower-laying ceremonies, among which at Belgian Air Force Lt. Col. Joseph Daumerie's plaque at 11:15 a.m. There will be other flower-laying ceremonies at Cambron-Casteau (8:15 a.m.), Gages (8:30 a.m.), Mévergnies (8:45 a.m. and 9 a.m.), and Attre (9:15 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.). 

• Liège: Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery will host a Veterans Day Ceremony Nov. 11 at 11 a.m.

• Flanders Field: A ceremony in Flanders Field pays tribute to the 368 American WWI Soldiers who died while liberating Belgium. Flanders Field American Cemetery will host its annual Veterans Day ceremony Monday at 11 a.m. Attendance is free and open to the public.

• Mons: The cemetery (on Chemin de la Procession) will host a ceremony Monday at 10:55 a.m. There will be also a special ceremony of tribute to the War Memorial on Place du Parc at 11:50 a.m., and a tribute ceremony to commemorative plaques placed under the entrance porch of the Hôtel de Ville, or city hall, on the square at noon.

• Soignies: There will be a ceremony on Place Verte at noon.

Courtesy of the Gazette