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TZID:America/Chicago
X-MICROSOFT-CDO-TZID:11
BEGIN:STANDARD
DTSTART:20251102T070000
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
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BEGIN:STANDARD
DTSTART:20261101T070000
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
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DTSTART:20260308T080000
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
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X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Chicago
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260127
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260128
UID:2E99171B-B02D-4D5D-8E49-33D0BAE7116D
SUMMARY:Vietnam Peace Accord
CREATED:20260111T220452Z
DTSTAMP:20260111T220452Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/vietnam-peace-accord
DESCRIPTION:On January 27, 1973, the Paris Peace Accords—formally the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam—were signed in Paris, marking the official end of direct United States military involvement in the Vietnam War. After more than four years of negotiations, National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese Politburo member Le Duc Tho led the principal talks; both were awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize, though Tho declined the honor. The agreement called for an immediate cease-fire, the withdrawal of all U.S. forces within 60 days, and the release of American prisoners of war, with 591 Americans returning home in February and March 1973. The peace did not last. Cease-fire violations began almost at once, and in 1975 North Vietnamese forces overran the South and captured Saigon. The VFW Ritual commemorates this date as the signing of the Vietnam Peace Accord in 1973, closing America's combat role and bringing the prisoners home.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:On January 27, 1973, the Paris Peace Accords—formally the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam—were signed in Paris, marking the official end of direct United States military involvement in the Vietnam War. After more than four years of negotiations, National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese Politburo member Le Duc Tho led the principal talks; both were awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize, though Tho declined the honor. The agreement called for an immediate cease-fire, the withdrawal of all U.S. forces within 60 days, and the release of American prisoners of war, with 591 Americans returning home in February and March 1973. The peace did not last. Cease-fire violations began almost at once, and in 1975 North Vietnamese forces overran the South and captured Saigon. The VFW Ritual commemorates this date as the signing of the Vietnam Peace Accord in 1973, closing America's combat role and bringing the prisoners home.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T231659Z
SEQUENCE:20221927
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:14
X-COLOR:d9254c
X-SHOW-END-TIME:0
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260215
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260216
UID:C17ADC80-7DDC-43E2-8969-BB26C25A2676
SUMMARY:U.S.S. Maine Sinking
CREATED:20260118T014303Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T014303Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/u-s-s-maine-sinking
DESCRIPTION:On the night of February 15, 1898, the battleship USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor while on a visit intended to protect American lives and property during Cuba's war for independence from Spain. Two hundred sixty-six of her crew were killed. The cause of the blast has been debated for more than a century, but the disaster inflamed American opinion, gave rise to the cry "Remember the Maine," and helped drive the United States into the Spanish-American War that April. Victory in that brief war made the United States a Pacific and Caribbean power and produced the overseas campaign service that later inspired the founding of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The VFW Ritual lists February 15—the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine, 1898—among the outstanding action dates in U.S. history that posts are to commemorate. We remember the Sailors who died in Havana Harbor and the war that followed.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:On the night of February 15, 1898, the battleship USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor while on a visit intended to protect American lives and property during Cuba's war for independence from Spain. Two hundred sixty-six of her crew were killed. The cause of the blast has been debated for more than a century, but the disaster inflamed American opinion, gave rise to the cry "Remember the Maine," and helped drive the United States into the Spanish-American War that April. Victory in that brief war made the United States a Pacific and Caribbean power and produced the overseas campaign service that later inspired the founding of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The VFW Ritual lists February 15—the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine, 1898—among the outstanding action dates in U.S. history that posts are to commemorate. We remember the Sailors who died in Havana Harbor and the war that followed.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T231829Z
SEQUENCE:19690526
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:10
X-COLOR:d9254c
X-SHOW-END-TIME:0
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260228
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260301
UID:3C8B69A9-2C14-428A-9EA4-AFBBA5FB397C
SUMMARY:Operation Desert Storm
CREATED:20260111T220544Z
DTSTAMP:20260111T220544Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/operation-desert-storm
DESCRIPTION:The VFW Ritual commemorates February 28 as the liberation of Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm, 1991. After Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, a U.S.-led coalition waged a 38-day air campaign beginning January 17, 1991, then launched a 100-hour ground offensive on February 24 that drove Iraqi forces from Kuwait. A cease-fire took effect on February 28, 1991. The campaign restored Kuwait's independence, demonstrated American power after the Cold War, and created a generation of Persian Gulf veterans who remain central to the VFW. Desert Storm was brief compared with later wars in the region, yet it was decisive: Republican Guard units were shattered, oil-field fires were left burning across Kuwait, and the United States accepted new lasting commitments in the Gulf. Posts honor the coalition's service and those who did not return.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The VFW Ritual commemorates February 28 as the liberation of Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm, 1991. After Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, a U.S.-led coalition waged a 38-day air campaign beginning January 17, 1991, then launched a 100-hour ground offensive on February 24 that drove Iraqi forces from Kuwait. A cease-fire took effect on February 28, 1991. The campaign restored Kuwait's independence, demonstrated American power after the Cold War, and created a generation of Persian Gulf veterans who remain central to the VFW. Desert Storm was brief compared with later wars in the region, yet it was decisive: Republican Guard units were shattered, oil-field fires were left burning across Kuwait, and the United States accepted new lasting commitments in the Gulf. Posts honor the coalition's service and those who did not return.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T232010Z
SEQUENCE:20222066
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:5
X-COLOR:d9254c
X-SHOW-END-TIME:0
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260324
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260325
UID:D47E7F19-DF6E-4512-A2BA-AA74E180EB60
SUMMARY:Kosovo Campaign
CREATED:20260111T220617Z
DTSTAMP:20260111T220617Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/kosovo-campaign
DESCRIPTION:The VFW Ritual commemorates March 24 as the start of the Kosovo Campaign in 1999. On that day NATO opened Operation Allied Force, a 78-day air campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia intended to halt the ethnic cleansing of Kosovar Albanians and force a withdrawal of Serbian forces from Kosovo. The bombing continued until June 10, 1999, after which a NATO-led peacekeeping force (KFOR) entered the province under United Nations authority. No NATO ground invasion was required, but the operation was the Alliance's first sustained combat campaign and a major post-Cold War test of American airpower and coalition diplomacy. Congress later authorized the Kosovo Campaign Medal for those who served. The VFW remembers the airmen, Sailors, Soldiers, and Marines who enforced the campaign and the longer peacekeeping mission that followed.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The VFW Ritual commemorates March 24 as the start of the Kosovo Campaign in 1999. On that day NATO opened Operation Allied Force, a 78-day air campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia intended to halt the ethnic cleansing of Kosovar Albanians and force a withdrawal of Serbian forces from Kosovo. The bombing continued until June 10, 1999, after which a NATO-led peacekeeping force (KFOR) entered the province under United Nations authority. No NATO ground invasion was required, but the operation was the Alliance's first sustained combat campaign and a major post-Cold War test of American airpower and coalition diplomacy. Congress later authorized the Kosovo Campaign Medal for those who served. The VFW remembers the airmen, Sailors, Soldiers, and Marines who enforced the campaign and the longer peacekeeping mission that followed.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T232302Z
SEQUENCE:20222205
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:13
X-COLOR:d9254c
X-SHOW-END-TIME:0
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260331
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260401
UID:1D823321-EFC4-4996-BD8F-82A134AD8E01
SUMMARY:Somalia
CREATED:20260111T220639Z
DTSTAMP:20260111T220639Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/somalia
DESCRIPTION:The VFW Ritual commemorates March 31 as the end of Operation Restore Hope in Somalia in 1995. U.S. forces had entered the country in December 1992 under Restore Hope (UNITAF) to secure famine-relief corridors; that humanitarian mission transferred to the United Nations in May 1993 as UNOSOM II. After the October 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, most American combat troops left by March 1994. The United Nations set March 31, 1995, as the deadline for remaining UN forces to depart, and the U.S.-led Operation United Shield completed the withdrawal in early March 1995. The Ritual date therefore marks the close of the American and UN peacekeeping chapter in Somalia—not the 1993 end of UNITAF itself. The VFW honors those who served in a mission that saved lives from starvation and exacted a hard cost in combat.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The VFW Ritual commemorates March 31 as the end of Operation Restore Hope in Somalia in 1995. U.S. forces had entered the country in December 1992 under Restore Hope (UNITAF) to secure famine-relief corridors; that humanitarian mission transferred to the United Nations in May 1993 as UNOSOM II. After the October 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, most American combat troops left by March 1994. The United Nations set March 31, 1995, as the deadline for remaining UN forces to depart, and the U.S.-led Operation United Shield completed the withdrawal in early March 1995. The Ritual date therefore marks the close of the American and UN peacekeeping chapter in Somalia—not the 1993 end of UNITAF itself. The VFW honors those who served in a mission that saved lives from starvation and exacted a hard cost in combat.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T232407Z
SEQUENCE:20222248
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:5
X-COLOR:d9254c
X-SHOW-END-TIME:0
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260501
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260502
UID:54459778-9350-4655-8D86-9522BC05102C
SUMMARY:Loyalty Day
CREATED:20260118T015540Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T015540Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/loyalty-day
DESCRIPTION:Loyalty Day is observed each May 1. It began as Americanization Day in 1921, a patriotic answer to communist May Day observances, and the VFW helped give the day national life: on May 1, 1930, some 10,000 VFW members rallied at New York's Union Square. A 1949 VFW resolution renamed the observance Loyalty Day; mass rallies in 1950 drew millions. In 1958 Congress enacted Public Law 85-529, making Loyalty Day a national day for reaffirming loyalty to the United States and for recognizing the heritage of American freedom. The VFW Ritual lists May 1—Loyalty Day, annually—among the commemorative dates, and the Manual of Procedure requires posts to make suitable arrangements for its observance. It is a day to honor the Constitution, the flag, and the men and women who have defended both.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Loyalty Day is observed each May 1. It began as Americanization Day in 1921, a patriotic answer to communist May Day observances, and the VFW helped give the day national life: on May 1, 1930, some 10,000 VFW members rallied at New York's Union Square. A 1949 VFW resolution renamed the observance Loyalty Day; mass rallies in 1950 drew millions. In 1958 Congress enacted Public Law 85-529, making Loyalty Day a national day for reaffirming loyalty to the United States and for recognizing the heritage of American freedom. The VFW Ritual lists May 1—Loyalty Day, annually—among the commemorative dates, and the Manual of Procedure requires posts to make suitable arrangements for its observance. It is a day to honor the Constitution, the flag, and the men and women who have defended both.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T232517Z
SEQUENCE:19690177
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:6
X-COLOR:d9254c
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260508
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260509
UID:58143734-8FB4-4B96-BCC3-8FA223E3083A
SUMMARY:VE Day
CREATED:20260118T015600Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T015600Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/ve-day
DESCRIPTION:Victory in Europe Day marks the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. German representatives signed an unconditional surrender at Reims on May 7, 1945, effective at 11:01 p.m. Central European Time on May 8; a second signing was held in Berlin at Soviet insistence. The VFW Ritual commemorates May 8 as VE Day: German unconditional surrender signed, 1945. After nearly six years of war in Europe—and more than three and a half years of American combat since Pearl Harbor—the guns fell silent from the Atlantic to the Elbe. The victory crowned the campaigns of North Africa, Italy, Normandy, the Bulge, and the drive into Germany, at a cost paid by millions of Allied service members and civilians. For the United States, VE Day was a moment of thanksgiving still shadowed by unfinished war in the Pacific, which would continue until September.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Victory in Europe Day marks the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. German representatives signed an unconditional surrender at Reims on May 7, 1945, effective at 11:01 p.m. Central European Time on May 8; a second signing was held in Berlin at Soviet insistence. The VFW Ritual commemorates May 8 as VE Day: German unconditional surrender signed, 1945. After nearly six years of war in Europe—and more than three and a half years of American combat since Pearl Harbor—the guns fell silent from the Atlantic to the Elbe. The victory crowned the campaigns of North Africa, Italy, Normandy, the Bulge, and the drive into Germany, at a cost paid by millions of Allied service members and civilians. For the United States, VE Day was a moment of thanksgiving still shadowed by unfinished war in the Pacific, which would continue until September.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T232808Z
SEQUENCE:19690328
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:4
X-COLOR:d9254c
X-SHOW-END-TIME:0
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260525
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260526
UID:C9B1E08A-FA4B-4431-B355-34114209C3FB
SUMMARY:Memorial Day
CREATED:20251205T025436Z
DTSTAMP:20251205T025436Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/memorial-day-tbd
DESCRIPTION:Memorial Day is a sacred day set aside to honor Americans who died in the nation's wars. It began as Decoration Day after the Civil War, when communities decorated the graves of the fallen; General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic called for a national observance on May 30, 1868. The traditional date remains May 30, and the VFW Ritual still lists Memorial Day among the outstanding commemorative dates (the Ritual text uses May 28). Federal law moved the legal public holiday to the last Monday in May, which in 2026 falls on May 25. The VFW Manual of Procedure directs each post to observe the day, mark graves, and, if practicable, conduct Memorial Day services in local cemeteries. Flags are customarily flown at half-staff until noon, then raised to full staff, and remembrancenot leisure—is the day's purpose.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Memorial Day is a sacred day set aside to honor Americans who died in the nation's wars. It began as Decoration Day after the Civil War, when communities decorated the graves of the fallen; General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic called for a national observance on May 30, 1868. The traditional date remains May 30, and the VFW Ritual still lists Memorial Day among the outstanding commemorative dates (the Ritual text uses May 28). Federal law moved the legal public holiday to the last Monday in May, which in 2026 falls on May 25. The VFW Manual of Procedure directs each post to observe the day, mark graves, and, if practicable, conduct Memorial Day services in local cemeteries. Flags are customarily flown at half-staff until noon, then raised to full staff, and remembrancenot leisure—is the day's purpose.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T232923Z
SEQUENCE:23488487
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:8
X-COLOR:d9254c
X-SHOW-END-TIME:0
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260606
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260607
UID:1F30179A-3C3A-4578-9DDC-21919D1BB683
SUMMARY:D-Day
CREATED:20260118T015816Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T015816Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/d-day
DESCRIPTION:On June 6, 1944, Allied forces launched Operation Overlord, the invasion of German-occupied France, landing on five Normandy beaches—Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword—and dropping airborne divisions inland. It was the largest amphibious assault in history. American troops met especially fierce resistance on Omaha Beach, while airborne Soldiers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions fought to secure exits and bridges before dawn. The VFW Ritual commemorates June 6 as D-Day: Allied invasion of Europe, 1944. The lodgment opened a Western Front that would carry the Allies to the Rhine and to VE Day eleven months later. Thousands of Allied troops were killed or wounded that day; their sacrifice turned the course of World War II in Europe; the VFW remembers the Soldiers, Sailors, airmen, and Coast Guardsmen who went ashore and those who never left the sand.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:On June 6, 1944, Allied forces launched Operation Overlord, the invasion of German-occupied France, landing on five Normandy beaches—Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword—and dropping airborne divisions inland. It was the largest amphibious assault in history. American troops met especially fierce resistance on Omaha Beach, while airborne Soldiers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions fought to secure exits and bridges before dawn. The VFW Ritual commemorates June 6 as D-Day: Allied invasion of Europe, 1944. The lodgment opened a Western Front that would carry the Allies to the Rhine and to VE Day eleven months later. Thousands of Allied troops were killed or wounded that day; their sacrifice turned the course of World War II in Europe; the VFW remembers the Soldiers, Sailors, airmen, and Coast Guardsmen who went ashore and those who never left the sand.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T233039Z
SEQUENCE:19690343
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:4
X-COLOR:d9254c
X-SHOW-END-TIME:0
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260614
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260615
UID:9D02F508-79AC-44CB-B639-C779E3D55A31
SUMMARY:Flag Day
CREATED:20260118T015832Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T015832Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/flag-day
DESCRIPTION:Flag Day is June 14, the anniversary of the day in 1777 when the Continental Congress resolved that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, and thirteen stars, white in a blue field. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed a national Flag Day in 1916; in 1949 President Harry S. Truman signed legislation making June 14 National Flag Day and directing an annual presidential proclamation. The VFW Ritual lists June 14—Flag Day among the commemorative dates, and the Manual of Procedure requires posts to make suitable arrangements for its observance. Red stands for valor, white for purity, and blue for vigilance and justice; a star is added for each state, while thirteen stripes honor the original colonies. Display of the flag is an act of remembrance for those who carried it into battle and those who did not come home beneath it.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Flag Day is June 14, the anniversary of the day in 1777 when the Continental Congress resolved that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, and thirteen stars, white in a blue field. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed a national Flag Day in 1916; in 1949 President Harry S. Truman signed legislation making June 14 National Flag Day and directing an annual presidential proclamation. The VFW Ritual lists June 14—Flag Day among the commemorative dates, and the Manual of Procedure requires posts to make suitable arrangements for its observance. Red stands for valor, white for purity, and blue for vigilance and justice; a star is added for each state, while thirteen stripes honor the original colonies. Display of the flag is an act of remembrance for those who carried it into battle and those who did not come home beneath it.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T233359Z
SEQUENCE:19690527
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:3
X-COLOR:d9254c
X-SHOW-END-TIME:0
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260704
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260705
UID:64465E95-A98C-4D6B-B3A4-D4837DF3F4F0
SUMMARY:Independence Day
CREATED:20260118T015929Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T015929Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/independence-day
DESCRIPTION:On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, asserting that all are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those words founded a new nation and set a standard the United States has spent two and a half centuries trying to live up to—through revolution, civil war, world war, and the service of every generation of veterans. The VFW Ritual lists July 4—Independence Day among the outstanding commemorative dates. The Fourth is a celebration of political liberty won and kept by arms: Washington's Continental Army, the Union that preserved the Republic, and all who have since defended the Constitution. In 2026 the calendar date falls on Saturday; the federal holiday is observed Friday, July 3. The VFW marks the Fourth itself as the nation's birthday.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, asserting that all are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those words founded a new nation and set a standard the United States has spent two and a half centuries trying to live up to—through revolution, civil war, world war, and the service of every generation of veterans. The VFW Ritual lists July 4—Independence Day among the outstanding commemorative dates. The Fourth is a celebration of political liberty won and kept by arms: Washington's Continental Army, the Union that preserved the Republic, and all who have since defended the Constitution. In 2026 the calendar date falls on Saturday; the federal holiday is observed Friday, July 3. The VFW marks the Fourth itself as the nation's birthday.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T233519Z
SEQUENCE:19690550
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:3
X-COLOR:d9254c
X-SHOW-END-TIME:0
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260727
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260728
UID:F2426B2A-7FEF-4D90-A51C-CB18DECC8E26
SUMMARY:Korean Armistice
CREATED:20260118T021111Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T021111Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/korean-armistice
DESCRIPTION:On July 27, 1953, representatives of the United Nations Command, the Korean People's Army, and the Chinese People's Volunteers signed an armistice at Panmunjom, ending three years of open fighting in the Korean War. The agreement established the Demilitarized Zone near the 38th parallel, provided for the exchange of prisoners, and halted hostilities—but it was not a peace treaty, and none has been signed since. The VFW Ritual commemorates July 27 as the signing of the Korean Armistice in 1953. From the Pusan Perimeter and Inchon to the Chosin Reservoir and the static battles that followed, American and allied troops held the line against North Korean and Chinese forces at great cost. The armistice left Korea divided and a generation of veterans whose service the VFW was built in part to recognize. We honor those who fought, those still unaccounted for, and a truce that has held, uneasily, for decades.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:On July 27, 1953, representatives of the United Nations Command, the Korean People's Army, and the Chinese People's Volunteers signed an armistice at Panmunjom, ending three years of open fighting in the Korean War. The agreement established the Demilitarized Zone near the 38th parallel, provided for the exchange of prisoners, and halted hostilities—but it was not a peace treaty, and none has been signed since. The VFW Ritual commemorates July 27 as the signing of the Korean Armistice in 1953. From the Pusan Perimeter and Inchon to the Chosin Reservoir and the static battles that followed, American and allied troops held the line against North Korean and Chinese forces at great cost. The armistice left Korea divided and a generation of veterans whose service the VFW was built in part to recognize. We honor those who fought, those still unaccounted for, and a truce that has held, uneasily, for decades.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T233649Z
SEQUENCE:19689938
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:2
X-COLOR:d9254c
X-SHOW-END-TIME:0
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260831
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260901
UID:6C71204C-5686-4C3D-9C86-7031E473A24E
SUMMARY:Iraqi Freedom
CREATED:20260118T021305Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T021305Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/iraqi-freedom
DESCRIPTION:The VFW Ritual commemorates August 31 as the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2010. U.S. and coalition forces had invaded Iraq in March 2003; major combat was declared ended that May, but a long insurgency, the rise of sectarian violence, and the 2007 surge followed. On August 31, 2010, President Barack Obama announced that the American combat mission in Iraq had ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom closed, and the remaining U.S. force shifted on September 1 to an advise-and-assist mission designated Operation New Dawn, which continued until the withdrawal of U.S. forces in December 2011. The Ritual date marks that change of mission, not the last American departure and not later operations against ISIS. The VFW honors all who served in OIF—the longest war many of this generation knew—and the comrades who did not come home.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The VFW Ritual commemorates August 31 as the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2010. U.S. and coalition forces had invaded Iraq in March 2003; major combat was declared ended that May, but a long insurgency, the rise of sectarian violence, and the 2007 surge followed. On August 31, 2010, President Barack Obama announced that the American combat mission in Iraq had ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom closed, and the remaining U.S. force shifted on September 1 to an advise-and-assist mission designated Operation New Dawn, which continued until the withdrawal of U.S. forces in December 2011. The Ritual date marks that change of mission, not the last American departure and not later operations against ISIS. The VFW honors all who served in OIF—the longest war many of this generation knew—and the comrades who did not come home.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T233931Z
SEQUENCE:19689986
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:6
X-COLOR:d9254c
X-SHOW-END-TIME:0
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260902
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260903
UID:EE215E46-0269-4188-BD24-F35B864FB90B
SUMMARY:VJ Day
CREATED:20260118T021355Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T021355Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/vj-day
DESCRIPTION:Victory over Japan Day, as observed by the VFW Ritual, is September 2, the day Japan surrendered in 1945, ending World War II fighting. Japanese officials signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, in a ceremony directed by General Douglas MacArthur. Japan had announced its acceptance of Allied terms in mid-August after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet entry into the Pacific war; September 2 made the surrender formal and complete. The VFW Ritual states: September 2—VJ Day: Japan surrendered, 1945, ending World War II fighting. The date closed a war that had begun for the United States at Pearl Harbor, run through Midway, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the air and sea campaigns across the Pacific, and cost hundreds of thousands of American dead. It remains a day of thanksgiving and of memory for those who never saw the peace they won.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Victory over Japan Day, as observed by the VFW Ritual, is September 2, the day Japan surrendered in 1945, ending World War II fighting. Japanese officials signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, in a ceremony directed by General Douglas MacArthur. Japan had announced its acceptance of Allied terms in mid-August after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet entry into the Pacific war; September 2 made the surrender formal and complete. The VFW Ritual states: September 2—VJ Day: Japan surrendered, 1945, ending World War II fighting. The date closed a war that had begun for the United States at Pearl Harbor, run through Midway, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the air and sea campaigns across the Pacific, and cost hundreds of thousands of American dead. It remains a day of thanksgiving and of memory for those who never saw the peace they won.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T234044Z
SEQUENCE:19690009
X-ACCESS:1
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260911
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260912
UID:7883155B-4A0D-439E-A0EA-F283E631B34D
SUMMARY:Patriots Day
CREATED:20260118T021414Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T021414Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/patriots-day
DESCRIPTION:The VFW Ritual lists September 11 as Patriot's Day (the Post calendar title is Patriots Day). By Public Law 107-89, approved December 18, 2001, Congress authorized the president to designate September 11 of each year as Patriot Day, in memory of those who died in the terrorist attacks on the United States. That morning hijackers flew airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and United Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, including first responders and service members at the Pentagon. Flags are to be flown at half-staff, and a moment of silence is observed beginning at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Time, when the first tower was struck. This September date is not Massachusetts Patriots' Day, which commemorates Lexington and Concord in April; the VFW remembers the dead, the rescuers, and all who have served since in the wars that followed.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The VFW Ritual lists September 11 as Patriot's Day (the Post calendar title is Patriots Day). By Public Law 107-89, approved December 18, 2001, Congress authorized the president to designate September 11 of each year as Patriot Day, in memory of those who died in the terrorist attacks on the United States. That morning hijackers flew airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and United Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, including first responders and service members at the Pentagon. Flags are to be flown at half-staff, and a moment of silence is observed beginning at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Time, when the first tower was struck. This September date is not Massachusetts Patriots' Day, which commemorates Lexington and Concord in April; the VFW remembers the dead, the rescuers, and all who have served since in the wars that followed.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T234211Z
SEQUENCE:19690077
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:5
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260918
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260919
UID:4E6857B4-FEE1-4543-954D-A372417E2CF8
SUMMARY:POW/MIA
CREATED:20260118T021446Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T021446Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/pow-mia
DESCRIPTION:National POW/MIA Recognition Day honors Americans who were prisoners of war and those still missing and unaccounted for. The VFW Ritual lists September, third Friday—POW/MIA Recognition Day; in 2026 that Friday is September 18. The first national observance was held in 1979 after families of Vietnam War missing pressed Congress and the president for full accountability. The date later settled on the third Friday in September so that it would not be tied to any one war. It is one of the six days specified by law on which the POW/MIA flag shall be flown over federal facilities, military installations, post offices, and cemeteries. The VFW's ritual includes a tribute to comrades who are prisoners of war or missing in action; the obligation remains: remember the returned, account for the missing, and keep faith with their families.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:National POW/MIA Recognition Day honors Americans who were prisoners of war and those still missing and unaccounted for. The VFW Ritual lists September, third Friday—POW/MIA Recognition Day; in 2026 that Friday is September 18. The first national observance was held in 1979 after families of Vietnam War missing pressed Congress and the president for full accountability. The date later settled on the third Friday in September so that it would not be tied to any one war. It is one of the six days specified by law on which the POW/MIA flag shall be flown over federal facilities, military installations, post offices, and cemeteries. The VFW's ritual includes a tribute to comrades who are prisoners of war or missing in action; the obligation remains: remember the returned, account for the missing, and keep faith with their families.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T234435Z
SEQUENCE:19690189
X-ACCESS:1
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260929
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260930
UID:937B447F-21E9-48F6-BE78-E81CAC612CC4
SUMMARY:VFW Birthday
CREATED:20260118T021504Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T021504Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/vfw-birthday
DESCRIPTION:September 29 is the birthday of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. On that evening in 1899, thirteen Spanish-American War veterans of the 17th Infantry met in a tailor shop in Columbus, Ohio, and formed the American Veterans of Foreign Service to aid comrades and the families of the fallen. The society was chartered by Ohio that October; in 1914 it became known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States after merger with kindred groups. The VFW Ritual's list of commemorative dates does not itself name the birthday, but posts nationwide observe September 29 as VFW Day. From those thirteen founders grew an organization whose congressional purposes remain fraternal, patriotic, historical, charitable, and educational: to preserve comradeship, assist worthy comrades, perpetuate the memory of our dead, and foster true patriotism. Post 8555, instituted in 1971, stands in that line.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:September 29 is the birthday of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. On that evening in 1899, thirteen Spanish-American War veterans of the 17th Infantry met in a tailor shop in Columbus, Ohio, and formed the American Veterans of Foreign Service to aid comrades and the families of the fallen. The society was chartered by Ohio that October; in 1914 it became known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States after merger with kindred groups. The VFW Ritual's list of commemorative dates does not itself name the birthday, but posts nationwide observe September 29 as VFW Day. From those thirteen founders grew an organization whose congressional purposes remain fraternal, patriotic, historical, charitable, and educational: to preserve comradeship, assist worthy comrades, perpetuate the memory of our dead, and foster true patriotism. Post 8555, instituted in 1971, stands in that line.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T234552Z
SEQUENCE:19690248
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:8
X-COLOR:d9254c
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261009
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261010
UID:01EBAFC1-9C50-4675-AAC7-02D1520FCD2B
SUMMARY:Operation Enduring Freedom
CREATED:20260118T021652Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T021652Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/operation-enduring-freedom
DESCRIPTION:The VFW Ritual commemorates October 9 as the start of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, 2001. Combat airstrikes against al-Qaeda and Taliban targets began on October 7, 2001—two days earlier—so October 9 is the Ritual's commemorative date, not the date of the first strike. The campaign followed the September 11 attacks and opened a war that would last twenty years, from the fall of the Taliban government that winter through later NATO operations, Operation Freedom's Sentinel, and the 2021 withdrawal. American, allied, and Afghan forces fought to dismantle terrorist networks, support a new Afghan government, and keep Afghanistan from again serving as a base for attacks on the United States. The VFW remembers all who deployed under OEF and the comrades who did not come home.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The VFW Ritual commemorates October 9 as the start of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, 2001. Combat airstrikes against al-Qaeda and Taliban targets began on October 7, 2001—two days earlier—so October 9 is the Ritual's commemorative date, not the date of the first strike. The campaign followed the September 11 attacks and opened a war that would last twenty years, from the fall of the Taliban government that winter through later NATO operations, Operation Freedom's Sentinel, and the 2021 withdrawal. American, allied, and Afghan forces fought to dismantle terrorist networks, support a new Afghan government, and keep Afghanistan from again serving as a base for attacks on the United States. The VFW remembers all who deployed under OEF and the comrades who did not come home.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T234713Z
SEQUENCE:19690221
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:2
X-COLOR:d9254c
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261018
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261019
UID:4D3B1671-D669-4076-A9D9-1AB70A51DA09
SUMMARY:Women in Military Service
CREATED:20260118T021913Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T021913Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/women-in-military-service
DESCRIPTION:The VFW Ritual commemorates October 18 as Recognition of Women in Military Service. On that date in 1997 the Women in Military Service for America Memorial—now the Military Women's Memorial—was dedicated at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. The memorial, authorized by Congress and led for decades by retired Air Force Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, a VFW life member, honors more than three million women who have served in or with the U.S. armed forces, from the Revolution to the present. Dedication day included the first all-female U.S. military flyover. Women have served as nurses, aviators, intelligence specialists, and, in this century, in combat on a scale earlier generations could not have imagined. The Ritual date is a reminder that American military history is also their history, and that the VFW counts women veterans among its comrades.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The VFW Ritual commemorates October 18 as Recognition of Women in Military Service. On that date in 1997 the Women in Military Service for America Memorial—now the Military Women's Memorial—was dedicated at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. The memorial, authorized by Congress and led for decades by retired Air Force Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, a VFW life member, honors more than three million women who have served in or with the U.S. armed forces, from the Revolution to the present. Dedication day included the first all-female U.S. military flyover. Women have served as nurses, aviators, intelligence specialists, and, in this century, in combat on a scale earlier generations could not have imagined. The Ritual date is a reminder that American military history is also their history, and that the VFW counts women veterans among its comrades.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T234929Z
SEQUENCE:19690216
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261111
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261112
UID:52D0806D-9962-4DA9-863A-0B41460E9233
SUMMARY:Veterans Day
CREATED:20260118T022026Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T022026Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/veterans-day-2
DESCRIPTION:Veterans Day is November 11, the anniversary of the armistice that ended fighting in World War I at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, 1918. The VFW Ritual commemorates the date as the signing of the World War I armistice and as Veterans Day. Originally called Armistice Day and made a federal holiday in 1938, the day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower so that it would honor living veterans of all wars, not only those of 1917-1918. A brief experiment with a Monday holiday in the 1970s was reversed; Congress returned the observance to November 11 in 1978 because the historic date mattered. The Manual of Procedure requires posts to make suitable arrangements for Veterans Day. It is a day to thank those who served and came home, as Memorial Day is a day to remember those who did not.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Veterans Day is November 11, the anniversary of the armistice that ended fighting in World War I at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, 1918. The VFW Ritual commemorates the date as the signing of the World War I armistice and as Veterans Day. Originally called Armistice Day and made a federal holiday in 1938, the day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower so that it would honor living veterans of all wars, not only those of 1917-1918. A brief experiment with a Monday holiday in the 1970s was reversed; Congress returned the observance to November 11 in 1978 because the historic date mattered. The Manual of Procedure requires posts to make suitable arrangements for Veterans Day. It is a day to thank those who served and came home, as Memorial Day is a day to remember those who did not.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T235055Z
SEQUENCE:19690229
X-ACCESS:1
X-HITS:4
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X-SHOW-END-TIME:0
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261207
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261208
UID:BE168DF6-BF7F-465B-AE52-D84135D10BE8
SUMMARY:Pearl Harbor Day
CREATED:20260118T022118Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T022118Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/pearl-harbor-day
DESCRIPTION:At 7:55 a.m. Hawaiian time on December 7, 1941, the first wave of 353 Japanese aircraft struck the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and nearby airfields. In less than two hours, 2,403 Americans were killed, including 1,177 sailors and Marines aboard USS Arizona, whose forward magazine exploded and sank the ship. The following day President Franklin D. Roosevelt told a joint session of Congress that December 7, 1941, was "a date which will live in infamy," and the United States declared war on Japan. In 1994 Congress designated December 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (Public Law 103-308). The VFW Ritual lists Pearl Harbor Day, since 1941, among the outstanding action dates posts are to commemorate. The attack pulled the nation into World War II and remains one of the most solemn dates on the American calendar.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:At 7:55 a.m. Hawaiian time on December 7, 1941, the first wave of 353 Japanese aircraft struck the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and nearby airfields. In less than two hours, 2,403 Americans were killed, including 1,177 sailors and Marines aboard USS Arizona, whose forward magazine exploded and sank the ship. The following day President Franklin D. Roosevelt told a joint session of Congress that December 7, 1941, was "a date which will live in infamy," and the United States declared war on Japan. In 1994 Congress designated December 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (Public Law 103-308). The VFW Ritual lists Pearl Harbor Day, since 1941, among the outstanding action dates posts are to commemorate. The attack pulled the nation into World War II and remains one of the most solemn dates on the American calendar.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T235210Z
SEQUENCE:19690252
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END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR