Written by Joe Armstrong, Brand & Communications Director, Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library
Join the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library for the 67th Veterans Day Commemoration to honor the courage, sacrifice, and service of our veterans.
The Veterans Day Commemoration is free and open to the public. Join us at the Downtown Main Library on Veterans Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 10:30 a.m.
67th Annual Veterans Day Commemoration
This year's event dedicated to the men and women who serve our country features:
- Keynote remarks from Vietnam War Veteran Richard L. Bevington, Jr., Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired)
- March of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Pipes and Drums
- The Hyde Park Brass Quintet playing, "The Star-Spangled Banner," "The Armed Forces Medley," and other pieces
- Posting of the Colors by the Diamond Oaks JROTC
- Wreath Presentation from local veterans groups
2025 marks the 70th anniversary of the “Book of Homage,” which honors nearly 3,000 Hamilton County veterans who gave their lives in service from World War I through the Afghanistan War.
New this year is a community reception immediately following the event, featuring:
- Light refreshments
- The Library’s oral history recording team
- Commemorative keepsakes for veterans, while supplies last
Attendees can also explore the Veterans History area at the Catherine C. and Thomas E. Huenefeld Story Center, opens a new window, where stories of service are preserved and shared. In addition, the Library is hosting an exhibit presented by the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center titled "Through Our Eyes," featuring stories and experiences shared by Vietnam Veterans.
Information about the Veterans History Project will also be available during the event. The Veterans History Project is coordinated by the Library of Congress and records local veterans’ memories through oral histories and documents, which are accessible via the website. To learn more about the project, go to CHPL.org/veterans.
Learn more about the Veterans Day Commemoration, opens a new window.
Richard L. Bevington Jr., Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.), 2025 Keynote Speaker
This year's keynote remarks will be from Vietnam War Veteran Richard L. Bevington, Jr., Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.).
Colonel Bevington was born and raised in Cincinnati. He graduated from St. Xavier High School in 1963 and Xavier University in 1967. Commissioned from ROTC he entered the Army in the Field Artillery. He served in Vietnam in 1970-71 as Captain in Vietnam as part of 2nd Battalion 319th Field Artillery Regiment - 101st Airborne Division. He earned a Master’s Degree in Sociology at The University of Chicago in 1974. Also, trained as a Foreign Area Officer, he focused on Latin America, especially Brazil.
Career highlights included: three assignments to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault); one of which was command of the 3rd Battalion 319th Field Artillery; two assignments to the Army Staff in the Pentagon; commander of the US Military Group Bolivia. Retiring in 1993, Colonel Bevington returned to Cincinnati to manage group medical practices. Currently, he serves as President of the Great Cincinnati Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America.
New Exhibit: "Voices of Liberation: Cincinnatians Experience the Holocaust"
Following the 67th Veterans Day Commemoration, you're invited to explore a special exhibit featuring materials from the CHPL Collection and first-hand interviews from the Veterans History Project. The "Voices of Liberation: Cincinnatians Experience the Holocaust" exhibit will be on display at the Downtown Main Library, including physical items featured in the Atrium and a complete digital exhibit viewable in the Catherine C. and Thomas E. Huenefeld Story Center on the 2nd Floor of the Downtown Main Library.
The year 1945 marked not just the end of World War II but the liberation of Nazi concentration camps across Europe. As Allied troops advanced into Germany and Axis-occupied territories, soldiers encountered the atrocities of the Holocaust in these camps. Among these liberators were Cincinnatians who became eyewitnesses to genocide. Some wrote about their experiences in letters and diaries, while others would later share their memories with the Veterans History Project , opens a new window. This exhibit shares the stories of six witnesses, representing just a small number of soldiers from the Greater Cincinnati area who attempted to speak on the unspeakable.
Henry B. Williamson is one of the veterans featured in the exhibit. View his interview through the Veterans History Project, which will be on full display in the exhibit:
“I was appointed as a liberator of one of the death camps. And the death camp that we liberated was Buchenwald, right near Berlin. I was 20 years old then. And the first thing you were told. Don't try to feed these people any regular food. It might kill them. And it was hard to say no to a smiling child. But the only thing they could tolerate was some kind of warm or some hot broth or soup. Just to keep them going. Talk about a wakeup call - to see that in person, the horror and the brutality. The people today that say that never happened are crazy. It happened. I'll go on record as saying it happened.“
The “Voices of Liberation: Cincinnatians Experience the Holocaust” exhibit will be open to the public from Monday, November 1 through Spring 2026 at the Downtown Main Library.
Learn more about the 67th Veterans Day Commemoration at the Downtown Main Library on Veterans Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 10:30 a.m. on our events calendar, opens a new window.
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