SALEM — Salem Kiwanis will be hosting a luncheon to honor local veterans Thursday. 

“We just wanted to do something for our veterans,” said Salem Kiwanis Past President Debbie Leggett. 

The first annual Kiwanis Veterans Luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First Christian Church Fellowship Hall at 1151 E. Sixth St. The luncheon will feature an opening and closing ceremony with color guard by Disabled American Veterans Youngstown Chapter Two, a veteran pinning, and two guest speakers, Mahoning County Veterans Commission Outreach Coordinator Corbin Baker, and CEO and Founder of Xterra Health: Nexus Letters and DBQS for Disabled Veterans Dr. Marshall Bahr. 

The luncheon will be completely free of charge for veterans and a guest of their choosing and feature spaghetti and meatballs with choice of white or red sauce, salad, and bread donated by the First Christian Church, and dessert donated by Salem Kiwanis. 

Those interested in participating are asked to RSVP to Doug Falk at 330-853-0158 by Tuesday. 

Applications for Salem OH Military Flags, a program which honors Salem veterans and active military personnel with custom flags recognizing their service to their country to be hung on lamp posts downtown, will also be available at the luncheon. Applications for flags are also available for pickup and can be turned in at the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, Berkshire Hathaway Realty, Gordon Brothers Water, Salem Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 892, and Salem AMVETS Post 45. Potential honorees must have been a resident of Salem during their lifetime and must have received an honorable discharge. 

The first flag is set to be raised during a ceremony at Lincoln Plaza at 2 p.m. April 3 and will honor Michael “Doc” Traina’s service as a combat medic in the U.S. Army from 1958-1960.