The city of Aurora and the Aurora Veterans Advisory Council will recognize the dedication of local military service men and women who have given to our country at the annual Veterans Day Parade and Ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.

The parade will step off at 10:15 a.m. from the corner of Broadway (Route 25) and Benton Street, and will travel north on Broadway, then west on Downer Place to the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall, 23 E. Downer, where the “Honoring All Who Served” ceremony will take place. The ceremony will conclude with a military rifle salute at 11:11 a.m., the exact time the armistice was signed that ended World War I.

Erica Borggren

The keynote speaker for the ceremony is Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Erica Borggren, who served as a senior staff member under Army General David H. Petraeus.

An Illinois native, Borggren was appointed Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary in July 2014. Borggren previously was director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs from 2011 through 2014. As the agency’s director, Borggren oversaw a 1,300-person staff, dedicated to serving those who have served.

In her military career, Borggren served as a senior staff member for Army General David H. Petraeus during his time as commanding general in Iraq, at U.S. Central Command, and in Afghanistan. Prior to her time in the Middle East, Borggren served as an Army Medical Service Corps officer in Yongsan, South Korea. A Rhodes Scholar, Truman Scholar, and the valedictorian of her West Point class. She holds post-graduate degrees in comparative social policy and theology from Oxford University.

Event parking will be available at any of the free City of Aurora parking lots throughout the downtown.

SEND A GIFT TO A SERVICE MEMBER THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

In addition to this year’s Veterans Day activities, the city of Aurora is also sponsoring the Gift from Home program, which sends a one-pound box of mixed nuts and a holiday greeting card to Aurora’s active military personnel for the holidays

To add your active-duty friend or family member to the list, please submit the service member’s full first and last name, branch of military and current rank, complete military address and complete Aurora address to City of Aurora Special Events at 630-256-3370, or submit online at https://www.aurora-il.org/events/gifts_from_home.php.

Submissions are due Friday, Nov. 14.

SOURCE: City of Aurora press release