History was being made in Tokyo Bay that day in September 1945, and Leo “Sheek” Bowden Jr. was slated to play a small role in the formal end of World War II.

Communities across the country are canceling or scaling back Veterans Day events. Some groups are finding alternative ways to honor veterans, including providing Thanksgiving dinners instead of holding parades.

Julie MacKnyght, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, toured Chipyong-ni, where U.S. and French troops under the United Nations Command held off waves of Chinese attacks in 1951.

His son David Ignatius, a Washington Post journalist and novelist, confirmed the death but did not cite a specific cause.

Titled “Protecting the Promise: the Past, Present and Future of Veterans’ Benefits,” the informal discussion brought renewed focus to a report that pointed to cases of abuse in the disability compensation system. Veterans advocacy groups and Democratic lawmakers disputed those findings.

Across the country, military households are feeling the pressure. Some of the most acute pain is in and around bases on the West Coast, where the cost of living is especially high.

Hundreds gathered to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of Southeast Asian conflicts during the Cold War era, including the Vietnam War and the Secret War. The conflicts resulted in thousands of immigrants, including veterans and refugees, settling in the U.S.

The National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va., will host its annual Veterans Day observance ceremony on Nov. 11. Admission will be free until noon for the public and all day for veterans.

The government shutdown has highlighted a known, growing concern of food insecurity among military families.

The Department of Veterans Affairs expects the slowdown to continue as payments are processed manually. Computer technicians who can fix the error are furloughed in the federal government shutdown that started Oct. 1.