Today is Veterans Day – a day to honor and appreciate veterans and their service to our country.

It was first observed as Armistice Day and became Veterans Day in 1954. Veterans and their families are invited to a free meal this evening in Washington. The Washington County Military Museum and American Legion Post #29 are co-hosting the free-will dinner at the United Presbyterian Church at 6 p.m. The keynote speaker at the dinner is Pastor David P. Cotner III of Prairie Flower Baptist Church in rural Washington. Cotner is an Iraq War veteran who served in the U.S. Army from 2006 to 2010 and was deployed to Iraq twice. He served as an all-source intelligence analyst for special operations.

In observance of Veterans Day, banks are closed, as well as many offices and businesses, including the Washington Public Library. Also, the U.S. Postal Service will not be delivering mail.