Veterans Day will be celebrated in communities throughout the state and nation Thursday, Nov. 11. The day honors those who have served in the U.S. armed forces.

Birmingham is home to the nation’s oldest, longest and largest Veterans Day parade. World War II veteran Raymond Weeks, who was from Birmingham, wanted to organize an event to honor all veterans, not just those who died in World War I and were honored on Armistice Day each Nov. 11. America’s first Veterans Day celebration occurred in Birmingham in 1947, and the holiday officially replaced Armistice Day in 1954. Weeks was director of the National Veterans Day Celebration for 38 years and, in 1982, received the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Ronald Reagan.

The National Veterans Day Parade will be live and in-person on the streets of downtown Birmingham on Thursday. The parade will be back on the north side of downtown, following the original parade route, now that the nearby interstate’s reconstruction is complete. Click here for the parade route. The parade is 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., rain or shine.

Give thanks to our courageous heroes. (Getty Images)

Give thanks to our courageous heroes. (Getty Images)

Give thanks to our courageous heroes. (Getty Images)

Veterans Day events are taking place across the state and are open to the public:

Birmingham

• Nov. 10 – National Veterans Award Dinner, 5 p.m., Sheraton Downtown Birmingham.
• Nov. 11 – American Village, 11 a.m., Colonial Chapel in Montevallo.
• Nov. 11 – Veterans Day at the Zoo, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Birmingham.

Mobile

• Nov. 11 – Mobile Symphonic Pops Band Veterans Day Concert, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park.
• Nov. 11 – Veterans Day Celebration and Parade of Flags, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park.
• Nov. 11 – Fairhope Veterans Day Sunset Prayer Service, 4:45 p.m., Bluff at Henry George Park.

Tuskegee

• Nov. 11 – U.S. Army Field Band Jazz Ambassador Veterans Day Concert, 2 p.m., Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site.

Huntsville

• Nov. 10 – Veterans Day Observance, 10 a.m., Calhoun Community Center.
• Nov. 11 – Parade, 11 a.m., Downtown Huntsville. The parade route includes the Veterans Memorial Park on Monroe Street.

Montgomery

• Nov. 11 – The Return from the Argonne Ceremony, 11 a.m., Union Station, 210 Water St.
• Nov. 11 – Veterans Day Parade and Ceremony, 3 p.m. The parade route starts at the intersection of Harlingen Road.

Tuscaloosa

• Nov. 11 – Veterans Day Program, 10 a.m., Veterans Memorial Park Association.

(Getty Images)

Here are some ways you can applaud and express your gratitude to America’s veterans and the sacrifices they made to preserve freedom:

• Recognize a veteran in your community.
• Attend a Veterans Day event.
• Display the American flag.
• Ask a veteran about his or her service.
• Assist a veteran through donations.
• Say “thank you.”
• Send patriotic flowers.
• Treat a veteran to a meal.
• Invite a veteran as a guest speaker.
• Help build a home for a veteran.
• Send a card or nice note.

Contributed: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs