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DTSTART:20251102T070000
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DTSTART:20261101T070000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251231
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260101
UID:2B3D2C08-0C44-410C-9529-F62E240ECEC6
SUMMARY:New Years Eve
CREATED:20251029T015243Z
DTSTAMP:20251029T015243Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/new-years-eve
DESCRIPTION:New Year's Eve is December 31, the last day of the civil year. It is not a federal legal public holiday under 5 U.S.C. 6103, nor a Texas legal holiday on which state agencies close, though many offices run reduced hours and the next day, New Year's Day, is a closing holiday. Americans mark the night as a threshold between years—looking back on service, loss, and work completed, and looking ahead to the year to come. For veterans and their families it is often a quiet pause after the Christmas season and before the patriotic calendar begins again on New Year's Day. The Post's federal-and-state-holiday calendar lists the date so members can plan around it. No Post 8555 ceremony or closing time is attached to this entry.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:New Year's Eve is December 31, the last day of the civil year. It is not a federal legal public holiday under 5 U.S.C. 6103, nor a Texas legal holiday on which state agencies close, though many offices run reduced hours and the next day, New Year's Day, is a closing holiday. Americans mark the night as a threshold between years—looking back on service, loss, and work completed, and looking ahead to the year to come. For veterans and their families it is often a quiet pause after the Christmas season and before the patriotic calendar begins again on New Year's Day. The Post's federal-and-state-holiday calendar lists the date so members can plan around it. No Post 8555 ceremony or closing time is attached to this entry.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T235527Z
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260101
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260102
UID:2AA4B11B-0565-4863-B57B-8597BF583EFF
SUMMARY:New Years Day
CREATED:20251029T015259Z
DTSTAMP:20251029T015259Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/new-years-day
DESCRIPTION:New Year's Day, January 1, is a federal public holiday and a Texas legal holiday on which state agencies are closed. The date has been observed as the start of the civil year in the English-speaking world since the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, and it has been a federal holiday since the early statutory lists of public holidays for federal employees. For the armed forces it is a traditional holiday routine when operations allow, and for veterans it is a day of rest after the close of the old year. In 2026 the holiday falls on Thursday. The calendar marks the legal holiday only; it does not set a Post 8555 event. Members who fly the flag on New Year's Day follow ordinary holiday custom—full staff, unless another order for half-staff is in effect.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:New Year's Day, January 1, is a federal public holiday and a Texas legal holiday on which state agencies are closed. The date has been observed as the start of the civil year in the English-speaking world since the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, and it has been a federal holiday since the early statutory lists of public holidays for federal employees. For the armed forces it is a traditional holiday routine when operations allow, and for veterans it is a day of rest after the close of the old year. In 2026 the holiday falls on Thursday. The calendar marks the legal holiday only; it does not set a Post 8555 event. Members who fly the flag on New Year's Day follow ordinary holiday custom—full staff, unless another order for half-staff is in effect.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T235632Z
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260119
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260120
UID:655A4D84-87C9-48C8-BFB4-FC18DCB93C88
SUMMARY:Martin Luther King Jr. Day
CREATED:20260118T055704Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T055704Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/martin-luther-king-jr-day
DESCRIPTION:Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal public holiday observed on the third Monday in January, which in 2026 is January 19. It honors the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., born January 15, 1929, Baptist minister and leader of the nonviolent civil rights movement that helped dismantle legal segregation. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law on November 2, 1983; it was first observed nationally in 1986. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968. The day is also a Texas legal holiday on which state agencies close. It is a time to remember a struggle waged in churches, courts, and streets—and the American principle, declared in 1776 and paid for in every war since, that all are created equal; the calendar marks the legal holiday, not a Post ceremony.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal public holiday observed on the third Monday in January, which in 2026 is January 19. It honors the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., born January 15, 1929, Baptist minister and leader of the nonviolent civil rights movement that helped dismantle legal segregation. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law on November 2, 1983; it was first observed nationally in 1986. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968. The day is also a Texas legal holiday on which state agencies close. It is a time to remember a struggle waged in churches, courts, and streets—and the American principle, declared in 1776 and paid for in every war since, that all are created equal; the calendar marks the legal holiday, not a Post ceremony.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T235738Z
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260216
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260217
UID:85773E67-EACD-4109-BB59-8B9055D16819
SUMMARY:Washington's Birthday
CREATED:20260118T055846Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T055846Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/washingtons-birthday
DESCRIPTION:Washington's Birthday is the official name of the federal public holiday observed on the third Monday in February—February 16 in 2026. George Washington was born February 22, 1732 (Gregorian), commanded the Continental Army through the Revolutionary War, presided over the Constitutional Convention, and served as the first president of the United States. Federal law still uses "Washington's Birthday," not "Presidents' Day," though the latter name is common in commerce and in Texas statute, which lists the same third Monday as Presidents' Day and closes state agencies. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved the observance from February 22 beginning in 1971. The day honors the commander whose endurance at Valley Forge, crossing of the Delaware, and refusal of a crown set the standard for civilian control of the military. The calendar marks the legal holiday only.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Washington's Birthday is the official name of the federal public holiday observed on the third Monday in February—February 16 in 2026. George Washington was born February 22, 1732 (Gregorian), commanded the Continental Army through the Revolutionary War, presided over the Constitutional Convention, and served as the first president of the United States. Federal law still uses "Washington's Birthday," not "Presidents' Day," though the latter name is common in commerce and in Texas statute, which lists the same third Monday as Presidents' Day and closes state agencies. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved the observance from February 22 beginning in 1971. The day honors the commander whose endurance at Valley Forge, crossing of the Delaware, and refusal of a crown set the standard for civilian control of the military. The calendar marks the legal holiday only.
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260525
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260526
UID:27C57E95-1E2E-4E1B-8F54-E7ED6E37E29D
SUMMARY:Memorial Day
CREATED:20260118T055911Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T055911Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/memorial-day
DESCRIPTION:Memorial Day is a federal public holiday and a Texas legal holiday observed on the last Monday in May—May 25 in 2026. The day honors U.S. military personnel who died in service. It grew from Civil War Decoration Day customs; in 1868 General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic called for a nationwide observance on May 30. The traditional date remains May 30; the Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved the legal holiday to the last Monday in May beginning in 1971. Flags are customarily flown at half-staff until noon, then raised to full staff, a practice the VFW has long urged the public to keep. This holiday entry records the legal closing day; it is not the Post's separately scheduled cemetery ceremony earlier in May, and it does not assign a time or place for Post 8555.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Memorial Day is a federal public holiday and a Texas legal holiday observed on the last Monday in May—May 25 in 2026. The day honors U.S. military personnel who died in service. It grew from Civil War Decoration Day customs; in 1868 General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic called for a nationwide observance on May 30. The traditional date remains May 30; the Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved the legal holiday to the last Monday in May beginning in 1971. Flags are customarily flown at half-staff until noon, then raised to full staff, a practice the VFW has long urged the public to keep. This holiday entry records the legal closing day; it is not the Post's separately scheduled cemetery ceremony earlier in May, and it does not assign a time or place for Post 8555.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T000137Z
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260619
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260620
UID:9DEF97C1-9D8C-4D16-8031-A8963E43208A
SUMMARY:Juneteenth National Independence Day
CREATED:20260118T055954Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T055954Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/juneteenth-national-independence-day
DESCRIPTION:Juneteenth National Independence Day is June 19, a federal public holiday and, in Texas, Emancipation Day. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 at Galveston, announcing that all slaves in Texas were free—more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation and two months after Confederate surrender. The order did not itself end slavery nationwide; the Thirteenth Amendment, ratified that December, did. Juneteenth had been celebrated in Texas African American communities for generations before Texas made June 19 a state holiday in 1979. Congress established the federal holiday in 2021. In 2026 the date falls on Friday, and for veterans the day sits within a larger American story: a Union victory that preserved the United States and destroyed slavery, paid for by hundreds of thousands of Union dead; the calendar marks the legal holiday, not a Post event.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Juneteenth National Independence Day is June 19, a federal public holiday and, in Texas, Emancipation Day. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 at Galveston, announcing that all slaves in Texas were free—more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation and two months after Confederate surrender. The order did not itself end slavery nationwide; the Thirteenth Amendment, ratified that December, did. Juneteenth had been celebrated in Texas African American communities for generations before Texas made June 19 a state holiday in 1979. Congress established the federal holiday in 2021. In 2026 the date falls on Friday, and for veterans the day sits within a larger American story: a Union victory that preserved the United States and destroyed slavery, paid for by hundreds of thousands of Union dead; the calendar marks the legal holiday, not a Post event.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T000313Z
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260703
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260704
UID:9427F60B-4F2D-4A4A-899F-0DC53826376C
SUMMARY:Independence Day (Observed Federal Holiday)
CREATED:20260118T060047Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T060047Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/independence-day-federal-holiday
DESCRIPTION:Independence Day is July 4, the anniversary of the 1776 adoption of the Declaration of Independence. When that date falls on a Saturday, federal law provides that the legal public holiday for most federal employees is the preceding Friday. In 2026, July 4 is a Saturday, so Friday, July 3, is the observed federal holiday. Texas lists Independence Day as July 4 itself; because the Fourth is a Saturday in 2026, state-agency treatment of an in-lieu Friday may differ from the federal observed day. This calendar item is the federal observed holiday only. The VFW Ritual commemorative date remains July 4; the Declaration's claim that all are created equal, and that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, is the political object American service members have been asked to defend from the Revolution forward.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Independence Day is July 4, the anniversary of the 1776 adoption of the Declaration of Independence. When that date falls on a Saturday, federal law provides that the legal public holiday for most federal employees is the preceding Friday. In 2026, July 4 is a Saturday, so Friday, July 3, is the observed federal holiday. Texas lists Independence Day as July 4 itself; because the Fourth is a Saturday in 2026, state-agency treatment of an in-lieu Friday may differ from the federal observed day. This calendar item is the federal observed holiday only. The VFW Ritual commemorative date remains July 4; the Declaration's claim that all are created equal, and that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, is the political object American service members have been asked to defend from the Revolution forward.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T000529Z
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260907
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260908
UID:A71135F8-96A8-4802-8266-FC3F82FD1ADD
SUMMARY:Labor Day
CREATED:20260118T060137Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T060137Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/labor-day
DESCRIPTION:Labor Day is a federal public holiday and a Texas legal holiday observed on the first Monday in September—September 7 in 2026. Congress created the holiday in 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed it into law after the Pullman Strike. Municipal and state observances had begun in the 1880s, when labor unions paraded to honor the American worker. The day recognizes the men and women whose work built the nation's farms, factories, mines, shipyards, and transportation systems—including the industrial base that armed the United States in two world wars and every conflict since. For many communities it also marks the unofficial end of summer. State agencies and federal offices are closed; the calendar records the legal holiday; it does not set a Post 8555 ceremony or location.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Labor Day is a federal public holiday and a Texas legal holiday observed on the first Monday in September—September 7 in 2026. Congress created the holiday in 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed it into law after the Pullman Strike. Municipal and state observances had begun in the 1880s, when labor unions paraded to honor the American worker. The day recognizes the men and women whose work built the nation's farms, factories, mines, shipyards, and transportation systems—including the industrial base that armed the United States in two world wars and every conflict since. For many communities it also marks the unofficial end of summer. State agencies and federal offices are closed; the calendar records the legal holiday; it does not set a Post 8555 ceremony or location.
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261012
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261013
UID:4F66A893-2051-4E8A-9F23-11D7A1DD4434
SUMMARY:Columbus Day
CREATED:20260118T060207Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T060207Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/columbus-day
DESCRIPTION:Columbus Day is a federal public holiday observed on the second Monday in October—October 12 in 2026. It commemorates Christopher Columbus's landfall in the Americas on October 12, 1492. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed a national Columbus Day in 1937; the Uniform Monday Holiday Act later moved the federal holiday to the second Monday. Federal offices are closed. Texas once listed Columbus Day as a state holiday and later removed it from the paid-closing list; it remains a statutory day of observance (Texas Government Code 662.044), but Texas agencies are not closed. Some states and cities observe Indigenous Peoples' Day on the same Monday; this calendar item follows the federal holiday title used on the Post's holiday calendar; no Post 8555 ceremony is assigned to the date.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Columbus Day is a federal public holiday observed on the second Monday in October—October 12 in 2026. It commemorates Christopher Columbus's landfall in the Americas on October 12, 1492. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed a national Columbus Day in 1937; the Uniform Monday Holiday Act later moved the federal holiday to the second Monday. Federal offices are closed. Texas once listed Columbus Day as a state holiday and later removed it from the paid-closing list; it remains a statutory day of observance (Texas Government Code 662.044), but Texas agencies are not closed. Some states and cities observe Indigenous Peoples' Day on the same Monday; this calendar item follows the federal holiday title used on the Post's holiday calendar; no Post 8555 ceremony is assigned to the date.
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261111
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261112
UID:DED70562-FC7F-4617-9568-410AAD26E004
SUMMARY:Veteran's Day
CREATED:20260118T060235Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T060235Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/veterans-day-3
DESCRIPTION:Veterans Day, November 11, is a federal public holiday and a Texas legal holiday. It marks the 1918 armistice that ended fighting in World War I and, since 1954, honors all who have served in the United States armed forces. Congress originally established Armistice Day; President Eisenhower signed the law renaming it Veterans Day so that living veterans of every war would be recognized. After a short-lived Monday-holiday experiment, the observance returned to November 11 in 1978. In 2026 the date falls on Wednesday. Federal and Texas agencies are closed; the holiday is distinct from Memorial Day: this day thanks those who served and survived; Memorial Day remembers those who died; the Post's VPR calendar carries a separate Veterans Day commemorative entry; this item records the legal holiday only and does not set a Post time or place.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Veterans Day, November 11, is a federal public holiday and a Texas legal holiday. It marks the 1918 armistice that ended fighting in World War I and, since 1954, honors all who have served in the United States armed forces. Congress originally established Armistice Day; President Eisenhower signed the law renaming it Veterans Day so that living veterans of every war would be recognized. After a short-lived Monday-holiday experiment, the observance returned to November 11 in 1978. In 2026 the date falls on Wednesday. Federal and Texas agencies are closed; the holiday is distinct from Memorial Day: this day thanks those who served and survived; Memorial Day remembers those who died; the Post's VPR calendar carries a separate Veterans Day commemorative entry; this item records the legal holiday only and does not set a Post time or place.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T001120Z
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261126
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261127
UID:66B5A75E-EB66-4A83-B0EC-EA46748EB3F1
SUMMARY:Thanksgiving Day
CREATED:20260118T060258Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T060258Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/thanksgiving-day-2
DESCRIPTION:Thanksgiving Day is a federal public holiday and a Texas legal holiday observed on the fourth Thursday in November—November 26 in 2026. President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving in November 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, inviting Americans to set apart a day of thanksgiving and praise. Congress fixed the fourth Thursday in 1941 after a brief calendar dispute during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. Texas also closes agencies the Friday after Thanksgiving; that Friday is not this calendar item. The holiday's themes—gratitude, harvest, and national unity—have long been shared by the armed forces, which observe Thanksgiving in garrison and in the field when operations allow. The calendar marks the legal holiday; it does not describe a Post 8555 dinner or other local event.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Thanksgiving Day is a federal public holiday and a Texas legal holiday observed on the fourth Thursday in November—November 26 in 2026. President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving in November 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, inviting Americans to set apart a day of thanksgiving and praise. Congress fixed the fourth Thursday in 1941 after a brief calendar dispute during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. Texas also closes agencies the Friday after Thanksgiving; that Friday is not this calendar item. The holiday's themes—gratitude, harvest, and national unity—have long been shared by the armed forces, which observe Thanksgiving in garrison and in the field when operations allow. The calendar marks the legal holiday; it does not describe a Post 8555 dinner or other local event.
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261225
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261226
UID:BD1D3BB2-12CA-4054-AE1C-36BF4899DE61
SUMMARY:Christmas Day
CREATED:20260118T060319Z
DTSTAMP:20260118T060319Z
URL:https://www.vfwpost8555.com/index.php/post-events/christmas-day-2
DESCRIPTION:Christmas Day, December 25, is a federal public holiday and a Texas legal holiday on which state agencies close. It is the principal Christian feast of the Nativity and, in American civil life, a national day of family gathering, charity, and rest. Congress included Christmas among the early statutory public holidays for federal employees. In 2026 the date falls on Friday. Texas also observes Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas as closing days in many years; those adjacent days are not this calendar item. For generations of service members, Christmas has been kept in barracks, aboard ship, and in combat theaters, often with field services and messages from home; the calendar records the legal holiday only; it does not assign a Post 8555 ceremony, meal, or closing hour.
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Christmas Day, December 25, is a federal public holiday and a Texas legal holiday on which state agencies close. It is the principal Christian feast of the Nativity and, in American civil life, a national day of family gathering, charity, and rest. Congress included Christmas among the early statutory public holidays for federal employees. In 2026 the date falls on Friday. Texas also observes Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas as closing days in many years; those adjacent days are not this calendar item. For generations of service members, Christmas has been kept in barracks, aboard ship, and in combat theaters, often with field services and messages from home; the calendar records the legal holiday only; it does not assign a Post 8555 ceremony, meal, or closing hour.
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