In my humble opinion, we have two days of thanksgiving each November. Sure, there is the turkey-consuming national holiday which falls on the fourth Thursday of the month, but there is also our chance to thank the past and present members of our armed forces for their sacrifice, patriotism and service to our nation. I refer of course to Veterans Day, which we celebrated yesterday.

The origins of this holiday stretch back to 1918, when on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, an armistice agreement went into effect marking the unofficial end to “the war to end all wars,” which we know as World War I.

This year’s Veterans Day marked the 90th anniversary of the first celebration of this holiday, which was known as Armistice Day until 1954. Over time, it has become a day to recognize all veterans for their service to our great nation and the sacrifices our men and women in uniform make on behalf of our country.

Each year on this day, our service men and women as well as those who fought before them, are feted with parades, ceremonies and wreath laying in communities across America. Many of these events are planned by veterans themselves, through organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion family.

Last year on Veterans Day found me in Norwich’s West Park taking in the parade and ceremony held annually in the county seat. I was moved by the procession of veterans in the parade, the flag-waving school children, the patriotic score of the marching band and the roar of motorcycle engines from the American Legion Riders contingent bringing up the rear. Tears filled my eyes as those we gathered there to honor saluted the colors while the voices of the Madrigal Singers rose together in singing our national anthem. It was a solemn event, filled with dignity, reverence and respect for our veterans.

My colleagues attended the Norwich event again this year, but I elected instead to drive to McDonough, where American Legion Post 1478 held a ceremony of its own.

The post, housed in an old school house acquired in the 1950s, has gotten a major facelift this year. Its sparkling white facade, trimmed in patriotic red and blue, shone in the late-morning sunshine, and I paused before going in to appreciate their efforts and attention to detail. As I stood there, I couldn’t help thinking that it was so appropriate to be taking it in for the first time on Veterans Day.