Omaha lights Memorial Park in red, white and blue for 10th annual veterans tribute ceremony downtown

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The city of Omaha lit up Memorial Park in red, white and blue to honor veterans as part of its 10th annual Veterans Shine On Lighting Ceremony.

The event featured the grand lighting of the World War II Colonnade, with Mayor John Ewing's brother, Eric Ewing, a Navy veteran, delivering the keynote speech.

Dwain Holmes, who served in Vietnam for 18 months, told me veterans should be thanked for their service every day and not just one day out of the year.

"Freedom isn't free and a lot of people have no idea the cost, the price that's been paid for the freedom, so anytime there's something like this that draws attention to veterans I'm all for it," Holmes said.

Nebraska's official Veterans' Day Parade will be held in Bellevue this Saturday at 10 a.m. down Mission Avenue.

Council Bluffs, Iowa will also host a Veteran's Day Parade this Saturday at 11 a.m.

A community ceremony hosted by the American Legion Post 1 will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Veterans Day at Memorial Park.

Free breakfast for veterans will also be available this Saturday at Greta Sons of the American Legion, American Legion Post 2 in Council Bluffs, and Defiant Harley-Davidson.

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This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.