Veterans Day Events Across Mid Columbia

There are a number of events honoring our veterans, as well as current/active military personnell across the Tri Cities and Mid Columbia...

Courtesy of the Tri City Herald--a list of events you are invited to participate in:

Columbia Basin College

-- Friday: national roll call of those who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; 11 a.m. at Washington State University Tri-Cities.

Prosser parade

The seventh annual Prosser Thank You Vets Parade is at 11 a.m. Friday. All are invited to join the parade. Lineup begins at 10:15 a.m. near Keene-Riverview School and follows the traditional States Day route.

Veterans, organizations, youth groups, family and friends of current or former military are welcome to participate.

For more information, call Deb at 509-778-1820 or 1944 or email neorblonde@yahoo.com or the Prosser chamber at 509-786-3177.

Appreciation dinner

Tri-Cities Elks Lodge #2755 will play host to a Veterans' Appreciation Dinner on Friday at 15 S. Colorado St., Kennewick. A free spaghetti dinner will be served to veterans. Cost for spouses and guests is $8. Doors open at 4 p.m., dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. with a program to follow.

Guests this year include the Washington State University Veterans Club and Vincent DeLiso, a World War II veteran and prisoner of war in Germany.

Friends and other area veterans are welcome -- you do not need to be a member of the Elks to attend. There are seating limitations, so RSVP by contacting the Tri-Cities Lodge office, Monday through Friday, at 735-6035, or email elks2755@frontier.com.

Book signing

Gary A. Fisher of Richland, who served in the Air Force and in the Navy and Army reserves, will be signing copies of the 183-page book he edited which features his cousin's World War II diary, At the Closing of a Day: The Diary of Sgt. Merle Alan Fisher Company B, 1st Amphibious Tractor Battalion, 1st Marine Division 1942-1944.

Fisher will bring the original diary and photographs to the event, which is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Ragtime Antiques Mall in the Uptown Shopping Center at 1331 George Washington Way, Richland. Copies of the book will be available for sale for $18. Books and e-editions also are available at Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

Veterans Day breakfast

The Hermiston Chamber of Commerce is organizing a Veterans Day breakfast at 8 a.m. Friday at the Hermiston Conference Center, 415 S. Highway 395. It is free to all veterans and their families.

There will be a short program, including a presentation by the Honor Guard, speaker Dean Hackett, a message from Mayor Bob Severson and Mark Johnson will play taps.

All veterans and family members should RSVP to the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce at 541-567-6151.

Donations for veterans

Columbia Basin College students and the Columbia Basin Veterans Coalition need donations to stock the veteran transition home, The Wagenaar-Pfister Transitional House