Bristol will honor those who have defended America with its annual Veterans Day ceremonies Friday.

The Bristol Veterans Council will begin the celebration of American vets with the annual wreath laying ceremony in the War Memorial Honor Roll Garden next to the Burnside Building on Hope Street at 8:30 a.m. The ceremony will then shift to the RI Veterans Home at 480 Metacom Ave., beginning with an interfaith religious service at 10 a.m., before the main ceremony at 11:30 a.m.

General Rick Baccus, administrator of the Veterans Home will welcome guests at 11:30, including Gov. Gina Raimondo, the Rhode Island Congressional delegation, as well as members of the RI General Assembly and the Bristol Town Council. The keynote address will follow, this year delivered by retired Lt. Col. Rene Remillard.

LTC Remillard is a Korean War veteran who began his military service as a 17-year-old private in the Army. He served as a combat medic with the First Calvary Division, 5th Calvary Black Knights.

After the way, LTC Remillard studied nursing, becoming a registered nurse before eating his Master’s degree in health care administration and management. He was commissioned in the Army Nurse Corps in 1972, serving in leadership roles with the 455th General Hospital and the US Army Medical Corps, before working for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, serving as director of Emergency and Aftercare Services.

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Friday’s event honors all veterans who have served the town, state and nation during all conflicts the US Armed Forces have participated in. The ceremony is scheduled to include the presentation of colors and a rifle salute by the Bristol Train of Artillery; performances by the Bristol County Chorus and the Mt. Hope High School band; and remarks from Bristol Veterans Council President Joseph Deniz, Town Administrator Antonio Teixeira and RI Office of Veterans Affairs Director Kasim Yarn. Bristol Veterans Council Chaplain John Barton will deliver the invocation and benediction, and Steven Skuba will play Taps in remembrance of fallen veterans.