Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Red River wakes to a clear and cold Veterans Day this Wednesday, with a temperature of 27 degrees at sunrise, sunshine building to a high near 55 degrees, light west winds, and no weather alerts in effect. It is a fittingly quiet and bright morning for a holiday that began with the armistice that ended World War I on November 11, 1918, and was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 to honor veterans of all generations. Across Taos County and the Enchanted Circle, the day is being marked with a shared meal, ceremonies, and a place of reflection known across the country.
In Taos, Holy Cross Hospital hosts its fourth annual Brunch With the Bravest today from 10:00 to 11:30 in the morning in the Wheeler Peak Cafeteria at 1397 Weimer Road. The free brunch is open to all Taos County veterans who bring proof of service, and it will be catered by the hospital dietary staff. Holy Cross describes the gathering, now a treasured community tradition, as a chance for veterans to share stories and reconnect with old friends. The hospital counts more than 560 employees, including 15 veterans who continue to serve their community through health care, and it accepts TriWest Veterans Health Care for patients.
For many Enchanted Circle families, the center of Veterans Day is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on U.S. Highway 64 in Angel Fire, at 34 Country Club Road. The New Mexico Department of Veterans Services lists Angel Fire among this year's statewide Veterans Day observances, and the David Westphall Veterans Foundation, which supports the memorial, describes it as a place for reunion, reflection, and healing, and as a venue for Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies. The memorial is now operated with the Department of Veterans Services, which also oversees a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall there.
The memorial began in grief. First Lieutenant Victor David Westphall III of the United States Marine Corps was killed on May 22, 1968, near Con Thien in South Vietnam, along with fellow Marines in his unit. That late summer, his parents, Dr. Victor Westphall and Jeanne Westphall, began building the Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel on a hillside overlooking the Moreno Valley. The chapel was dedicated on May 22, 1971, the third anniversary of David's death, and it was the first major memorial created to honor Vietnam War veterans. Congress recognized it as a memorial of national significance in 1987, and in 2005 it became the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park, the only state park in the United States dedicated solely as a Vietnam veterans memorial. Its doors, the Congressional Record notes, have never been locked.
Farther north on the drive-in route, American Legion Post 5 in Raton hosts a Veterans Day ceremony today at Veterans Park, with speakers, live music, poems, and a proclamation from Mayor Lori Chatterley, followed by a reception at the Raton Museum. Back in Red River, there is one more civic deadline today: written comments on the proposed Manner and Method hunting and fishing rule are due by 1:00 this afternoon, ahead of the State Wildlife Commission meeting at the Red River Conference Center on Friday, November 13. However you spend the day, please take a moment to thank a veteran. Sunny weather continues Thursday with a high near 55 degrees, and the ski area countdown stands at 14 days to the planned opening on Wednesday, November 25.
Photo: The Peace and Brotherhood Chapel at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Angel Fire, illuminated at dusk. Photo by Warriors Remembered, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.