The public is invited to hear from Staff Sgt. Stephanie Riotte of the Rhode Island National Guard at a ceremony next week at the Providence VA Medical Center to mark Veterans Day.

The Coventry High School Reserve Officers’ Training Corps will perform “The Tribute to the Missing Soldier” and the Cranston High School East ROTC will perform the flag-folding ceremony, explaining the meaning of each fold. Taps will be sounded.

The program will be at 10 a.m. Nov. 10 in the fifth-floor auditorium of the main VA building, 830 Chalkstone Ave. in Providence.

Other guests invited include: Maj. Gen. Robert Bray, R.I. National Guard Commanding General and R.I. Adjutant General; Brig. Gen. (ret.) Rick Baccus, current administrator of the Bristol Veterans Home; and representatives from R.I.’s congressional offices and members of several veterans’ service organizations. For more information, call Donna Ruthwicz, Voluntary Service Program Manager, at (401) 457-3002.

Veterans Day treat at Applebee’s

All veterans and active-duty military personnel are invited to eat free at Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar Restaurants on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, in recognition of their service to the country. Building on the positive response received to last year’s pilot program on Veterans Day, which offered free entrees to military service personnel and veterans, Applebee’s is extending the invitation to service personnel throughout the country this year. Proof of service is required and it includes: U.S. Uniform Services Identification Card or Retired Identification Card; a current leave and earnings statement; a veteran’s organization membership card; a photograph of you in uniform or wearing your uniform during your restaurant visit. For additional details visit: www.applebees.com/vetsday.

Local war vets to be honored

On Wednesday, Nov. 11, Atria Lincoln Place will honor area war veterans at a special Veterans Day free breakfast, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., which will include inspirational stories from those being honored.

“Our veterans deserve an opportunity to share their wartime experiences and the sacrifices they made for our country,” said Camilla Streeter, Engage Life Director at Atria Lincoln Place. “We host an annual event to applaud their service and offer a chance for others to learn something special from them.”

Atria Lincoln Place is at 612 George Washington Highway in Lincoln. Seating is limited so reservations must be made by Tuesday (Nov. 3) by calling (401) 334-1686. Atria communities are not nursing homes but describe themselves as active communities where seniors can get the care they need to live as independently as possible.

Help available for filing claims

Disabled American Veterans National Service Officers Rick Vaccari and Justin Hart will be available to assist veterans with filing claims for VA compensation at various locations during the month of November.

A service officer will be present in the DAV mobile service office van at: the Elks Club in Woonsocket on Nov. 3, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; the Cranston Senior Center on Nov. 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and the Middletown Shaw’s Supermarket on East Main Road on Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Other locations to be visited include: the Warwick Vet Center at 2038 Warwick Ave. on Nov. 12, from 8:30 a.m. to noon; and the New Bedford Vet Center’s new location at 67 Huttleston Ave. in Fairhaven on Nov. 24, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. All services are free and appointments are not necessary.

American Legion and Auxiliary: East Greenwich Post 15 and Auxiliary Unit meet Monday at 7 p.m., at 1016 Main St.; Post 39 will meet Wednesday (Nov. 4), at 7 p.m., at The Neighborhood Guild, Columbia Street, Peace Dale.

Bristol Veterans Council meets Monday at the Byfield School on High Street, Bristol, at 7 p.m.

Fleet Reserve Association Blackstone Valley Branch 132 meets Monday at 7 p.m., at VFW Post 306, 171 Fountain St., Pawtucket.

Marine Corps League: Higgins Detachment meets Monday at the Mainstay Best Western Hotel, 151 Admiral Kalbfus Rd., Newport, at 7 p.m.; the Kent County Detachment will meet Wednesday at VFW Post 449, Providence Street, West Warwick, at 7 p.m., and the Kent County Detachment’s annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball will be on Nov. 10 at Nino’s Restaurant in Coventry, at 6 p.m. A brief ceremony will be followed by a meal and dancing. The public is invited; for more information call Frank Dolan at (401) 828-8438.

Disabled American Veterans Chapter 17 Pion Post will meet Tuesday at Crompton Vets Club, 37 Hepburn St., West Warwick, at 7:30 p.m.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary Department president Karen Lavoie will hold a department meeting on Thursday at Burns Manor, 95 Park St., Pawtucket, at 7 p.m.

The United Veterans Council of Rhode Island will meet Thursday at 7 p.m., in the second-floor conference room at 1 Capitol Hill, Providence.

VeteransColumn@verizon.net