When/Where:  Sunday, November 11th, 2018 at 10:30 / War Memorial Plaza (Delaware Bridge) 163 Cherry Lane, New Castle, DE 19720

Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs (DCVA) request the pleasure of your company to our annual Veterans Day Ceremony. This year’s event is being hosted by the Marine Corps League with the hosting support of DCVA. Please help us celebrate and honor all our veterans past and present.

Veterans Day History:

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day’ on November 11, 1918, the first anniversary of the end of World War I.

The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words:

Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and

Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and

Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.

*https://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp

‘For the Veteran, thank you for bravely doing what you’re called to do, so we can safely do what we’re FREE to do.’ -LoveThisPic.com

‘The willingness of America’s Veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude.’ -Jeff Miller

‘Veteran: It’s not that I can and others can’t; it’s that I did and others didn’t.’

‘We don’t know them all, but we own them all!’

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/NYTimes-Page1-11-11-1918.jpg

When/Where: Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 6-9 P.M. – Dover Downs Hotel & Casino

Retired Navy Command Master Chief Charles ‘Chuck’ Baldwin will keynote the 5th Annual Dinner for the Delaware Veterans Trust Fund at Dover Downs Rollins Center on November 3rd, 2018.

“Mr. Baldwin also serves as a member of the Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs representing the state’s Vietnam veterans, but his contributions to Delaware and his fellow veterans go far beyond that,” said Paul Davis, president of Delaware State Council, Vietnam Veterans of America, and vice president of the Friends of Delaware Veterans, the fundraising organization of the Trust Fund.

During his 28-year Navy career Mr. Baldwin served as the top enlisted man on the 5,500 member crew of the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), and was a finalist for MCPON (Master Chief Petty Office of the Navy). His focus on leadership and education continued after his retirement. He served as president of The Charter School of Wilmington. Founded in 1996 it is one of the first charter schools in the nation.

In 2003, he co-founded the Delaware Military Academy in Wilmington, raising more than $15 million for its construction. Its mission is to prepare young men and women for their next level of education and to provide them with a foundation that leads to good citizenship. It has been recognized by the U.S. Department of the Navy as a Distinguished NJROTC Unit with Academic Honors. Mr. Baldwin later advised the founding committee of the First State Military Academy in Clayton, whose students participate in Marine Jr. ROTC. In May it featured its first graduating class.

In 2017 he authored “Carrier to Classroom,” with book signings at Barnes & Noble in Wilmington resulting in a $2,700 contribution to the Veterans Trust Fund. The book encourages military veterans to enter teaching. It details ‘10 Deckplate Leadership Lessons’ for all teachers, whether military or civilian. He is a regular speaker at official U.S. Navy events in Washington and beyond. “Carrier to Classroom,” can be ordered on Amazon.com.

“We encourage community and business organizations and individuals to be part of this annual event that benefits all generations of Delaware veterans,” said Mr. Davis.

Visit www.DelawareVeteransTrustFund.com for information on the Trust Fund, its volunteer board of community leaders, and how to become a dinner sponsor or participant. For more information please see attached flyer or contact DCVA office at 302-739-2792.

2018 Dinner

When/Where:  Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 10:00 AM – Downtown Dover – W. Loockerman Street to Legislative Avenue

When/Where:  Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 12:00 PM – Downtown Dover – Legislative Avenue & Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard

The Delaware General Assembly, the Delaware Department of State, the Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs, the Delaware Heritage Commission, Dover Air Force Base, and the City of Dover will honor Delaware Women Veterans with this year’s ‘Veterans Day Parade.’ The parade will begin at 10:00 A.M. winding through downtown Dover ending at the site of the dedication ceremony.

For more information on the parade, please contact Colinda Marker in Legislative Council at 302-744-4303 or colinda.marker@delaware.gov. Registration to enter the parade is also available with the deadline on Monday, October 29, 2018.

Please help us honor Delaware’s Women Veterans at Legislative Hall. The dedication ceremony will follow the parade starting at 12:00 P.M. Parking is available all around Legislative Hall, which sits on Legislative Avenue between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard North and South. Refreshments will follow the ceremony at the Delaware Public Archives adjacent to Legislative Hall.

For more information on the monument dedication, please call (302) 744-4114 or email: Legislative.Council@delaware.gov

Parade 2018
Monument 2018

When/Where: Saturday, July 7th, 2018 @ 9:00am (Rain or Shine). Registration starts at 8am. Silver Lake Park, Dover, DE                               (Use Washington Street entrance off of State Street)

We’re back and ready for all our great supporters to register for our annual ‘Freedom 5K!’ It’s not too late to convince your family and friends to come help support this wonderful event. You can register as a runner, a walker or even a roller. We also have the option for sponsorship, for those who would like to stay on the side lines. Thank you and hope to see everyone there!

To register, please visit TriSportsEvents.com or make checks payable to Veterans Trust Fund, mail it to TriSports, 2772 Hazlettville Road, Dover, DE  19904. Below are forms for registration and sponsorship.

2018 Freedom 5K Registration

2018 5K Sponsorship Form

When/Where: Thursday, June 14th @ 10:00 am. Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 26669 Patriots Way, Millsboro, DE  19966.

Please take the time to join us this year for our annual ceremony honoring ‘Old Glory.’ Our veteran organization host will be the Korean War Veterans Association, led by Commissioner Edward Johnson.

‘Old Glory”

This famous name was coined by Captain William Driver, a shipmaster of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1831. As he was leaving on one of his many voyages aboard the brig CHARLES DOGGETT – and this one would climax with the rescue of the mutineers of the BOUNTY – some friends presented him with a beautiful flag of twenty four stars. As the banner opened to the ocean breeze for the first time, he exclaimed “Old Glory!”

He retired to Nashville in 1837, taking his treasured flag from his sea days with him. By the time the Civil War erupted, most everyone in and around Nashville recognized Captain Driver’s “Old Glory.” When Tennesee seceded from the Union, Rebels were determined to destroy his flag, but repeated searches revealed no trace of the hated banner.

Then on February 25th, 1862, Union forces captured Nashville and raised the American flag over the capital. It was a rather small ensign and immediately folks began asking Captain Driver if “Old Glory” still existed. Happy to have soldiers with him this time, Captain Driver went home and began ripping at the seams of his bedcover. As the stitches holding the quilt-top to the batting unraveled, the onlookers peered inside and saw the 24-starred original “Old Glory”!

Captain Driver gently gathered up the flag and returned with the soldiers to the capitol. Though he was sixty years old, the Captain climbed up to the tower to replace the smaller banner with his beloved flag. The Sixth Ohio Regiment cheered and saluted – and later adopted the nickname “Old Glory” as their own, telling and re-telling the story of Captain Driver’s devotion to the flag we honor yet today.

Captain Driver’s grave is located in the old Nashville City Cemetery, and is one of three (3) places authorized by act of Congress where the Flag of the United States may be flown 24 hours a day.

A caption above a faded black and white picture in the book, The Stars and the Stripes, states that ” ‘Old Glory’ may no longer be opened to be photographed, and no color photograph is available.” Visible in the photo in the lower right corner of the canton is an appliqued anchor, Captain Driver’s very personal note. “Old Glory” is the most illustrious of a number of flags – both Northern and Confederate – reputed to have been similarly hidden, then later revealed as times changed. The flag was given to his granddaughter or niece and she later donated it to the Smithsonian.

http://www.usflag.org/old.glory.story.html