Staff report

SALISBURY — The Rowan County Veterans Council has organized a ceremony, a luncheon and a parade for Veterans Day on Saturday.

Ceremony: The festivities start with a program at 10 a.m. in Building 6 of the Hefner VA Medical Center. N.C. Rep. Carl Ford will deliver the keynote address.

Ronnie Smith will read the names of the 42 Rowan County service members lost during the Vietnam War. At the same time, the names of the nation’s 58,418 service members lost in Vietnam will be read out in Washington.

Kathryn Davis will present “A Soldier’s Story.”

The gathering will recognize three people:

• Gary Barringer, Veteran of the Year.

• Roget Ellerbe, Chaplain of the Year.

• Elaine Howle, Veterans Service Office of the Year.

Dean Moore, president of the Rowan County Veterans Council, says the council wants to especially honor disabled veterans housed at the VA hospital. During the ceremony, cadets from Virginia will visit those veterans one-on-one at the medical center.

Luncheon: A luncheon honoring veterans will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at VFW Post 3006 (the building with the helicopter out front) on Brenner Avenue. For $6, participants get barbecue from Gary’s Barbecue, including tea and dessert.

Parade: The Veterans Day Parade will start gathering about noon in front of Building 6 and then proceed around the VA campus from 1 to 1:30 p.m. Moore said al veterans are welcome to join the parade in their own vehicles, especially those from World War II and the Korean War.

“They’re our living heroes, and we want to honor our living heroes,” Moore said.

The group will reassemble downtown in the area of Stallings Memorial Baptist Church on South Main Street and parade up Main Street from 2:30 to 3 p.m.