This is the 92nd annual recognition of Veteran's Day and two local veterans' organizations are planning their annual dinner for the holiday.
The American Legion Kingdom Post 210 will host the Veterans Dinner at the VFW Post 2657 in Fulton. The dinner is at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 11.
Each year, the groups choose a member of the military to be the guest speaker at the dinner.
"This year, our guest speaker is Lt. Col. Hadley Turner," said David Beaver, post commander. "He is a Fulton native and graduate of Fulton High School."
His parents, Tom and Betty, are still residents of Fulton.
Beaver said the dinner is a way to celebrate the Callaway County veterans.
"It's a great way to observe and recognize all the veterans in Callaway County," Beaver said. "We try to get a speaker who is either full-time military or in the guard to come and talk about either their duties now or what made them want to be in the military. Really, they get to pick the topic since they are the guest speaker."
Beaver said the groups have a small list of people they'd like to see come back to Callaway to speak at the dinner.
"The Fulton Sun actually ran a picture in the middle of the summer with four Callawegians at Ft. Leavenworth. We had already had two of them come and speak," Beaver said. "In the picture, I spotted Lt. Col. Turner so I called his parents to get his number and we asked him to speak this year."
All four of the men in the photo were from Fulton, and, according to Beaver, two of them actually graduated high school together.
"It's quite unique," he said. "With the uniqueness of the photo, we'll try to have an opportunity to have all four come back and speak at one time or another."
It isn't always easy planning to have a member of the military speak at the dinner, though.
"We have to work with some of them being deployed, or getting in and out of their home base," Beaver said. "We really have to coordinate with their current duties and location."
Tickets to the dinner are $10 and can be purchased by calling David Beaver at (573) 642-5479 or Allan Nelson at (573) 642-8360. The meal is a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Fulton VFW Post 2657 is at the corner of Bus. 54 and Collier Lane in Fulton.