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As Veterans Day, an important national holiday approaches on Wednesday, November 11, there have been several moving patriotic related events in advance.

Perhaps the first occurred Thursday when Maryville High held its assembly open to the public and marking that important day. Each year, Diane Rutherford, senior transition teacher, who was recognized Thursday with a plaque for her leadership, instructs a class with each member interviewing and preparing a folder on a different local veteran. The student writes about the veteran's service and presents the folder to the veteran on the day of the program.

In addition to excellent choral presentations of patriotic numbers under the direction of Dr. Ken Hawkins, backed by a brass choir directed by Tom DeLozier, Electronic Media Production teacher Scott West screened an accompaniment of World War II and Korean War photographs. Blount County Veterans Service Officer Charles Staley assisted with the program.

The speaker, Marine Corps Major David Banning advised students they should be considering what they will do in life to preserve America.

Earlier in the week the newly completed bridge across Little River in Townsend was dedicated as the Tuckaleechee Veterans Bridge.

Saturday afternoon, a ceremony honoring veterans was held at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend, calling attention to its garden of large rocks on which the names of veterans have been engraved in their honor.

Speaker for the occasion was Lt. General R. A. Tiebout, a retired U.S. Marine who lives in Townsend. Commander Ken Abbott, U.S. Navy retired, pastor of Tuckaleechee United Methodist Church and native Blount Countian, offered the invocation and the benediction.

Bob Ergenbright, minister of music at Broadway United Methodist Church, sang the national anthem. The Marine Corps Color Guard from Delta Company, Combat Engineer Detachment in Knoxville presented the colors.

A special attraction was a display of military vehicles by the Knoxville Military Vehicle Club. There was a restored World War II Jeep, a Korean War Jeep, two or three deuce and a half trucks and an Army dump truck, all restored to the time they served.

In addition to the playing of the service hymn for each branch of service, a white dove was released when each tune was played. Guild members served refreshments.

At 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, State Senator Doug Overbey will speak at the Blount County observance of Veterans Day. The program will be in the Blount County Commission Room in the top floor of the Blount County Courthouse.

Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day, marking the observance of the signing of the treaty at the end of fighting on the Western Front, ending World War I. It was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 in the personal rail car of French General Ferdinand Foch, commander of Allied Armies. The signing was at Rethondes, France. This ended combat between German and Allied armies.

Some fighting continued on the Russian front and in the Balkans. It was another six months before the Treaty of Versailles was signed June 28, 1919, the peace treaty officially ending World War I, known at the time as "The Great War," the war to end all wars.

In the early days of World War II, the French surrendered to the Germans. Upon Hitler's orders, the railway coach in which Germany had signed its surrender to the Allies in World War I was taken from a French museum and moved to the exact spot where the Germans had surrendered on Nov. 11, 1918. On June 22, 1940, Hitler sat in the same chair as the one occupied by Gen. Foch at the signing of the World War I peace and dictated the surrender, a great humiliation to the French.

Three days later, Hitler had the signing site destroyed and the railroad car taken to Berlin where it was destroyed in 1945 as Hitler saw he was losing World War II, perhaps fearing it would be used for the signing of another German surrender. Also found at the site were broken pieces of the stone marker the French had erected after the end of World War I with this inscription: "Here on the eleventh of November 1918 succumbed the criminal pride of the German Reich vanquished by the people it tried to enslave."

In 1954, after America had fought World War II, the greatest mobilization of manpower in the nation's history, and the Korean War, Congress set aside November 11 as a day to honor all veterans who have served their country.

The national Veterans Day Ceremony is held at 11 a.m. on November 11 at Arlington National Cemetery in suburban Washington, D.C., at the Memorial Amphitheater, site of the tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.

Today there is a greater need than ever in our nation's history to show appreciation for those who have answered the call of their nation. In a war effort that is in its eighth year with much of the nation's population oblivious of the effort, we should make a special effort to recognize those who have laid their lives on the line in order to preserve the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.