Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, ceremonies are scheduled to take place to mark Veterans Day this Wednesday in Jefferson City.
Hy-Vee will offer free drive-thru breakfast for veterans and active-duty military personnel Wednesday morning. Each breakfast will be individually packaged and available via contactless drive-thru in the store parking lot on West Truman Boulevard. Hy-Vee expects to serve more than 90,000 meals at more than 250 stores.
Also Wednesday morning, the annual Veterans Day service at St. Peter Catholic Church, 216 Broadway St., is scheduled at 10 a.m. Church officials have limited seating in the church, so those who want to attend should arrive early. Masks will be required.
The Mass will be offered for men and women who have served our country in war or peace. It will be livestreamed on the St. Peter Parish Facebook page. Veterans and service personnel are encouraged to wear their caps and/or uniforms.
At 2 p.m. Wednesday, a groundbreaking ceremony will be held for a Mid-Missouri Gold Star Families Monument to raise awareness of military families' sacrifices.
Plans are to have the $125,000 monument placed at the entrance for the new Bicentennial Bridge - adjacent to the Missouri Veterans Memorial on the north side of the Missouri Capitol.
Gold Star Families are those who have a family member in the military who died in the line of duty. The honor dates back to World War I, when families of service members displayed flags featuring a blue star for every member of the immediate family who was serving in the war. If one of those family members died, the star's color would be changed to gold.
The monument is intended to "increase public respect and appreciation for the tremendous sacrifice made by members of our Armed Forces who have given their lives in defense of our country; help make us more mindful of the great sacrifices made also by the families these heroes left behind; and inspire us to do more to make our country worthy of the sacrifices made on our behalf," according to a news release.
Due to COVID-19 precautions, a formal veterans ceremony that had been planned for Tuesday at Hawthorn Memorial Gardens and another ceremony that had been planned for Wednesday at the American Legion have been canceled.