PLEASE NOTE: This event has been canceled for 2020.
The Town of Cary will hold a Veterans Day Observance on Monday, November 11th, 2019, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Veterans Freedom Park, 1513 N. Harrison Ave., Cary.
Read about more Veterans Day events in the Triangle, as well as freebies for veterans.
Here’s information, from the website for the event:
Join us for a ceremony in observance of those who served our country. The ceremony will feature speakers from the Town of Cary and local armed forces community support groups.
Speakers
Lt. Col. Bernardine (Bernie) Donato is originally from Slingerlands, NY. A graduate of Ellis Hospital School of Nursing in Schenectady, NY, she also received a B.S. in health administration from the University of La Verne, California.
Her military career spanned 24 years, the first 10 with the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps, then with the California Air National Guard as a C-130 tactical flight nurse. Her deployments included Panama, Korea, and Saudi Arabia.
As a civilian, she spent over 40 years as a registered nurse, 24 of those years with the Emergency/Trauma Mobile ICU Team in south central Los Angeles. Additionally, she spent 11 years as a reserve police officer for the LAPD, having been assigned to vice, patrol, gang units, and fugitive warrants.
Bernie was deployed to the 1992 Los Angeles riots. During her time with the LAPD, she received many commendations, including the 1995 Los Angeles Reserve Officer of the Year and 1996 Los Angeles County Reserve Officer of the Year. She retired from the University of California, Irvine as a Research Nurse Coordinator in 2013 and moved to NC.
To give back to her community, she has served as a volunteer Veteran Engagement Coordinator and Captain for Team Red, White, & Blue Raleigh/Durham Chapter, and is an active member of the Travis Manion Foundation and Team Rubicon.
Parking
Free parking (regular and handicap accessible) will be available at Cary Academy (1500 N. Harrison Ave.), which is located across the street from the Veterans Freedom Park. There will be a handicap accessible shuttle running from Cary Academy’s parking lot to the event at Veterans Freedom Park. There will also be a police provided crosswalk available to those who wish to walk from the parking lot instead of taking the shuttle.
Toy Soldier Project
The Town will again offer toy soldiers on which citizens can write a soldier’s name and place in the memorial as a way to honor all of those who have served in the armed forces. These soldiers will be saved and placed in the monument every Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
