Several events are planned in Salina Monday to honor veterans on Veterans Day.

Lt. Col. Richard Fisher, executive officer of the Great Plains Joint Training Center and garrison commander of the Kansas Army National Guard Training Center, will be the guest speaker at a Veterans Day Ceremony at the Saline County War Memorial in Sunset Park. Command Sgt. Maj. Greg Kober, command sergeant major of the Great Plains Joint Training Center, will be the sergeant at arms. The ceremony begins at 11:00 Monday morning.

Maj. Patrik Goss, facilities commander for the Army Aviation Support Facility #2, will be the guest speaker for a Veterans Day ceremony at the Salina Christian Academy. The ceremony begins at 10:00 Monday morning.

Master Sgt. John Duerr, chief instructor, Regional Training Site – Maintenance, will speak at a couple of schools Monday. He will be speaking to the 5th and 6th grade classes at Lakewood Middle School at 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 12:50 p.m. He will also be speaking at Coronado Elementary at 8:35 a.m.

Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislation that was passed in 1938, November 11 was “dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.'” As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.

In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress — at the urging of the veterans service organizations — amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.