Veterans Day is Wednesday, November 11. Tigard is the kind of place where a veteran is likely to live a few doors down: in a family house, in one of the retirement communities in and around King City, or in an apartment you pass on the way to work. This guide is about remembering them while they are here to hear it. Our Memorial Day piece on Willamette National Cemetery covered the fallen. Veterans Day is for everyone who served.
🇺🇸 Which Holiday Honors Whom
The military holidays are easy to blur together, and a wrong greeting is an easy mistake to avoid:
- Memorial Day honors people who died in military service.
- Veterans Day honors all U.S. veterans, living and deceased, and is the day to thank someone who served.
- Armed Forces Day honors people currently serving.
November 11 goes back to the end of World War I: the armistice took effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. It was called Armistice Day until 1954, when it became Veterans Day to include those who served in World War II and Korea. This year the Department of Veterans Affairs picked a poster that recognizes America’s 250th anniversary, pairing a modern flag with an early American one.
🚩 How Tigard and Its Neighbors Have Marked the Day
Here is what was reported for last year, on November 11, 2025, which gives you a sense of the local traditions. These are last year’s details, not this year’s, so please check the City of Tigard’s calendar and the local veterans organizations for the 2026 schedule.
- A flag-raising ceremony was held at 11 a.m. on the lawn of the Tigard Public Library, with remarks by a city councilor who is an Air Force veteran. Representatives of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans were expected, along with local Scouting groups, and coffee and donuts were provided.
- A retirement community in Tigard held a morning celebration for eight of its resident veterans, with a color guard, a Pledge of Allegiance led by a Scout, a pinning ceremony and a lunch. The mayor paid tribute to the honorees.
- Neighboring cities did their own. Tualatin’s annual recognition breakfast reached its 140-person limit, Sherwood held a free recognition brunch, and in Beaverton an American Legion post held an indoor celebration.
The pattern in last year’s reports is worth noting: Veterans Day here was a small, local, mostly morning observance, with breakfasts, flag-raisings and pinning ceremonies. If you plan to attend one, flowers delivered the day before to a veteran who will be there, or to the person organizing it, is a lovely way to take part.
⛰️ Willamette National Cemetery and the Volcano Underneath
The nearest national cemetery to Tigard is Willamette National Cemetery in southeast Portland, about 10 miles from downtown. It covers roughly 269 acres, straddles the Multnomah and Clackamas county line, and had about 188,000 interments as of 2021. It is one of three national cemeteries in Oregon (the others are in Roseburg and Eagle Point), and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. One detail most visitors never hear: the cemetery sits on top of a wide cone of the Boring Lava Field, the field of small volcanic vents scattered around the Portland area.
People visit on Veterans Day as well as Memorial Day. Rules about flowers and decorations vary by cemetery and by season, so please check the current rules before you bring anything. We cover the details in our Willamette National Cemetery guide.
🏡 The Veterans Next Door
The veterans of the Korean War and the Vietnam era are now in their seventies, eighties and nineties, and some of them live in the retirement communities around King City. If there is an older veteran in your life, a living arrangement is a particularly good gift, and it is a gift that takes nothing from the person receiving it. Our guides to flowers in King City and retirement flowers beyond King City explain how deliveries to a community work. A few tips:
- Call the community first. Ask whether they accept deliveries, whether there is a front desk, and whether they are hosting an event for veterans that day.
- Include the full name, the unit or room number and a note that says why.
- Consider a plant, or a low arrangement that will not crowd a small table.
🏥 If the Veteran Is in the Hospital
The VA has a medical center in Portland, and veterans in Tigard are also treated at many other hospitals around the metro. If you are sending flowers to a patient, call the hospital or the VA facility first. Many hospitals restrict flowers in intensive care and some other units. Have the patient’s full name and room number, and if flowers are not allowed, a card or a delivery to the home after discharge is a good alternative. Our guide to get-well flowers for Portland-area hospitals has the details.
✍️ Saying It Well
The most meaningful Veterans Day cards are specific. A few ideas:
- “Thank you for serving. I am proud to know you.”
- “I know you rarely talk about it. I just wanted you to know I am grateful.”
- For a neighbor: “Thank you for your service, and for being such a good neighbor.”
- For a coworker: “Thank you for your service and for all you bring to this team.”
Some veterans prefer low-key recognition, so a quiet bouquet and a short note often land better than a big gesture. Our gratitude list can help you think through who to thank. For flowers, red, white and blue is the traditional palette, and the red poppy has been a symbol of remembrance since World War I. If you fly a flag, Veterans Day is one of the national holidays when it should be displayed.
⏰ Timing: A Wednesday Holiday
Veterans Day is a federal holiday, and city offices and libraries often close for it, along with many schools, banks and government offices. If you are sending flowers to a workplace, check that it will be open, and consider sending to a home instead. For a Wednesday occasion, order for Tuesday, November 10, or earlier. We are glad to help you time a delivery around an event.
📍 Where We Deliver Around Tigard
We deliver across the area, including King City, Bull Mountain, Durham, Metzger, Beaverton, Sherwood and Southwest Portland. Browse our thank-you flowers for ideas.
❓ Quick Answers
- When is Veterans Day? Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
- Who does it honor? All U.S. veterans, living and deceased. Memorial Day honors those who died in service.
- Is there a ceremony in Tigard? Last year there was a flag-raising at the library lawn at 11 a.m. Check the City of Tigard calendar for this year’s details.
- Where is the nearest national cemetery? Willamette National Cemetery in southeast Portland.
- Can I send flowers to a veteran in the hospital? Call the facility first; rules vary by unit.
- When should I order? For Tuesday, November 10, or earlier, since many places close on the holiday.