The City of Lakewood’s annual Veterans Day Ceremony will take place Saturday, November 11, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial in Lakewood Park, 14532 Lake Avenue.  Lakewood’s annual Veterans Day observance is a tribute to the men and women who served our country in the armed forces.

Lakewood’s Veterans Day program will begin with the Presentation of Colors followed by the National Anthem by performed by the Lakewood High School Ranger Marching Band.

This year’s keynote speaker is Joe Benedict.  Mr. Benedict was born in Marion, Ohio in 1946.  His father was a career Navy man and as a result, the family moved numerous times. They settled in Parma in 1963 where Joe graduated from Parma Senior HS in 1964.  He left for Navy boot camp one week after graduation and served with a fighter squadron until his discharge in 1968. His career included one tour in Vietnam.  He retired from his civilian career in 2009 after thirty seven years with Warwick Communications, Inc.

Joe is active with the Vietnam Veterans Chapter 15 and currently is the Commander of the Polish Legion of American Veterans Post 30. He’s also a member of the Joint Veterans Honor Guard and is President of Honor Flight Cleveland.  Over the past ten years, Honor Flight Cleveland has helped over 3,200 U.S. veterans (mostly from W.W.II) benefit from an Honor Flight Cleveland adventure. The one-day flights to Washington D.C. occur up to nine times per year.  Joe and his wife Kathy of forty seven years live in Old Brooklyn. They have two grown daughters and three grandchildren.

Other highlights of this year’s program include performances by the Lakewood High School Band, a poem by Bill Knittle and a 21-gun salute by the Joint Veterans Honor Guard.  The Veterans Day Ceremony is free and open to the public.  Following the ceremony, coffee and doughnuts will be offered in the Woman’s Club Pavilion at Lakewood Park.