As you travel in and out of San Saba on US Highway 190 East have you ever noticed the Bronze marker with the blue star? It’s located on the north side of the highway, just beyond the LCRA Nature Park, by the only tree in the right-of-way and a highway department granite historical marker. Its significance is evident on Veterans Day, when we meet there to celebrate the service of all who have served to protect our country, past and present. This year is no exception but since Veterans Day 2012, is on Sunday, our community will publicly celebrate on the 12th. Several events are planned by various organizations – some open to veterans only and others to the public. A detailed program of the day’s events will be in the next edition of The San Saba News & Star. Some interesting facts about Veterans Day and the Blue Star Marker:•It is officially Veterans Day – an s but no apostrophe. It is always on November 11th and is a Federal holiday (thus no mail, no banks, holiday for Federal employees, though they have to wait to the nearest Monday to claim it!) •Why November 11th? The Armistice (or temporary cessation of hostilities) of The Great War (who could imagine a greater one than World War I?) was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Armistice Day became a legal Federal holiday in 1938. The United States has no national holidays since the states retain the right to designate their own holidays.•After World War II and the Korean War, there were many more veterans to honor. Armistice Day became Veterans Day in 1954 and is a day to honor all Americans who have served their country. It is not to be confused with Memorial Day which commemorates those who have died in the service of their country.•In the 70s the Federal observance of Veterans Day was held the 4th Monday in October. All states did not follow suit and eventually, in 1978, Veterans Day observance reverted to November 11th.•Military Service Flag: In the United States, it is an official banner that the family of service members can display. The flag or banner is defined as a white field with a red border and a blue star for each family member serving in the Armed Forces during any period of war or hostilities. The banner was designed in 1917 by an army captain to honor his two sons who were serving in World War I. A note in the congressional record reads: The world should know of those who give so much for liberty. The dearest thing in all the world to a father and mother – their children. The flags were first used in World War I, with standardizations in World War II. They were not popular during the Vietnam War but have come back into use. In today’s usage, an organization may fly a service flag if one of its members is serving on active duty.•Blue Star Marker: At the close of World War II, the National Council of Garden Clubs was seeking a way to honor our service men and women. Over the next several years the project evolved as the garden clubs coordinated with the highway department to establish a “ribbon of living memorial plantings traversing every state” to be called The Blue Star Memorial Highway Program. The marker was designed in 1947 to identify the highways. Look for the Blue Star Memorial Highways as you travel anywhere in our great country. And of course, the blue star is taken from the service flag. The blue star stands for hope and pride. Our Blue Star Marker was dedicated in November 2000 by the San Saba Garden Club at a Zone I, District V meeting. The day of the dedication (and for several days before and after) it was raining so hard that the dedication was held at the meeting site!•Look for all the details for the events of Monday, November 12th in next week’s paper. Contact numbers are: Fran Hulgan 325-628-3292, or Ross Cox 325-205-0180.