Lei donations welcomed ahead of ceremony at Hanapēpē Veterans Cemetary on Veterans Day

The Kauaʻi Veterans Council is holding two upcoming events to honor the men and women who served in the military.

On Saturday, the public is invited to attend the Kaua’i Veterans Celebration at 3 p.m. at Hale Līhu’e on Rice Street. The celebration will be followed by a veterans evening at the downtown Līhu’e market, beginning at 4 p.m.

Community members, schools, senior centers, hotels, and non-profit organizations are also invited to donate leis so that each veteran’s grave marker at the Hanapēpē Veterans Cemetery may be properly adorned on Veterans Day, which falls on Nov. 11 each year.

It originated from “Armistice Day,” which commemorated the end of fighting in World War I on Nov. 11, 1918, at 11 a.m.

After receiving the leis, the Girl and Boy Scouts will place them on each gravesite at the cemetery in Hanapēpē early on Tuesday in time for the Veterans Day ceremony that begins at 11 a.m.

The public is invited to attend the free event and take part in a decades-long community tradition of remembrance and gratitude to the men and women who served our country in uniform.

The ceremony will feature tributes honoring all branches of the military.

Over the years, the council has honored veterans of the Korean War, World War II, and Vietnam, as well as women who have served in the military.

This year, to inspire greater participation from younger soldiers and their families during military celebrations, the Kaua‘i Veterans Council will recognize and honor those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We really hope to see the community at both events so that we can show our veterans how much we appreciate them,” said Aida Padilla-Cruz, event coordinator at the Kaua’i Veterans Center and Museum in Līhu’e.

Those who wish to donate leis must ensure they are 24 inches long and left open-ended, Padilla-Cruz said.

Donations can be dropped off at the Kaua‘i Veterans Center in Līhu‘e, on Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Highway, now through Nov. 10, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., or delivered directly to the Hanapēpē cemetery by 9 a.m. on Veterans Day.

Padilla-Cruz said she “honors Kaua’i veterans every day.” They include her husband, who served two tours during the Vietnam War and passed away 20 years ago.

“It is important for us to continue to pass on this tradition for the next generations,” she said.

“People forget, you know. They take Veterans Day as a holiday, but it’s important that we recognize these incredible men and women in our community. We’re trying to get the younger ones to come out because the future is for them, and we want to show the community who they are.”

She added: “If you know or see a veteran this week, thank them for their service.”