Veterans Day usually brings parades, salutes, rifle volleys and crowds lining sidewalks from coast to coast. This year is different as the federal government shutdown is turning patriotic traditions into cancellations.
Communities that typically deck streets with flags are scrapping ceremonies. National cemeteries that host quiet tributes are going silent. Universities that normally stage ROTC vigils are telling cadets to stand down. This is a result of what has been the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which could soon be over due to eight Senate Democrats crossing the partisan aisle Sunday evening and reaching a deal with Republican leaders in the chamber to get a future vote on Affordable Care subsidies.
Military.com[2] reached out to multiple universities and national cemeteries for comment.
The shutdown is currently freezing official military outreach nationwide. Universities, ROTC detachments and national cemeteries are cancelling Veterans Day ceremonies and parades.
Officials told Military.com that federal rules block service members from taking part in public events during a lapse in funding. Communities from Virginia to Oregon are scrambling, cancelling long-planned tributes and shifting to quiet, private observances instead. Military families are closely watching pay and benefits[3].
Olivia Robbins carries a large American flag while leading her Girl Scout troop as they march in Veterans Day parade event honoring Mainers who served in the military, Monday, Nov. 11, 2019, in Portland, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Shutdown Forces Silence on Veterans Day
Long-standing traditions in Charlottesville, Portland, San Diego and Michigan are among those canceled.
Military.com asked officials why time-honored ceremonies honoring service members vanished from community calendars. Pentagon and ROTC leaders pointed to a directive that halts all community outreach activity during the shutdown.
Air Force ROTC commanders at the University of Virginia confirmed the ceremony and vigil could not proceed. Capt. Rachael Parks, a spokesperson for the Air Force Jeanne M. Holm Center, told Military.com that Department of War guidance requires all official outreach to stop until funding returns. Background on ROTC campus programs can be found on Military.com’s ROTC page[4].
Arial view of the Pentagon with the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial in the background (Photo by Shannon Knott/Pentagon Force Protection Agency)
Pentagon Sends Questions to the Services
The Pentagon directed all inquiries to individual military branches for clarification.
Air Education and Training Command told Military.com Air Force ROTC units cannot participate in Veterans Day ceremonies in an official capacity during the shutdown. Service members may attend privately if they follow uniform rules and do not appear to represent the military. More Veterans Day impacts are tracked in Military.com’s Veterans Day coverage[5].
A volunteer salutes a headstone at the Wreaths Across America event at Miramar National Cemetery, San Diego, Dec. 14, 2024. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Santicia Ambriez-Stippey)
A Patchwork of Silence and Celebration
Public ceremonies at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego, Great Lakes National Cemetery in Michigan, and Camp Nelson National Cemetery in Kentucky, were canceled. Portland’s Veterans Day Parade was also called off.
Houston will still hold its Veterans Day parade and program as planned.
ROTC cadets at UVA will still mark the day with a private recognition during training. Cadets planned a moment of silence and a short tribute.
