City To Honor Veterans Nov. 11

The city of Gaithersburg will honor and remember its veterans in its annual Veterans Day Observance Sunday, Nov. 11.

The entire community is invited to join city officials and members of local veterans groups who will be on hand to honor those who have served in all branches of the military, according to the city.

The observance takes place at 11 a.m. at the City Hall Concert Pavilion and a reception inside City Hall will immediately follow the ceremony.

Veterans Day remarks will be delivered by Brigadier General (Ret.) Donald Whalen. According to the city:

General Whalen graduated from West Point in 1957 and was commissioned as a Field Artilleryman. During the following 28 years, he served with an Armored Division in Germany, an Airborne Brigade in The Republic of Vietnam, and in the U.S. he served on nine Army posts, one Navy base, at one university and twice in the Pentagon.  His military career included teaching at West Point, commanding Field Artillery units and spending much time in Research, Development and Acquisition of weapons systems. Following retirement, General Whalen worked with Cypress International in Alexandria for 25 years. His military decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. 

As part of its Veterans Day celebration, the city is again supporting the efforts of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), which adopts various units deployed overseas.

The city will be accepting donations to send as part of the Adopt-A-Unit program.

Items most needed include:

• Powdered drink mixes 
• Silly String (to detect lasers in a room)
• Cherry flavored lip balm
• Men’s undershirts
• Boxers and briefs
• Flypaper
• Cans of salted nuts
• Travel size toothbrushes and toothpaste
• Soaps, shampoos and lotions
• Sealable plastic bags
• Trail mixes
• Disposable cameras
• AA and AAA batteries

More information about the city of Gaithersburg's Veterans Day Observance can be found on the city website.