Recent veterans invited to Veterans Day ceremony in Des Plaines

Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 311 and American Legion Post 36 of Des Plaines will co-host a ceremony honoring veterans at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at the Des Plaines Community Center on Thacker Street, just west of Wolf Road.

Organizers in particular want to extend an invitation to veterans who have served during the past 25 years.

"It took me 25 years to come out of my shell and be recognized as a veteran," said Bill Christiansen, president of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 311. "Now we have to pass the torch to the next generation of veterans. So all veterans of all the conflicts since Vietnam please come to the ceremony at Prairie Lakes Community Center and be recognized."