Published on Tuesday, November 11, 2025
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

On Tuesday, expatriates living in Costa Rica are marking Veterans Day, a U.S. holiday that honors all military veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The date also coincides with Remembrance Day, observed in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and other Commonwealth nations to honor their veterans.

Veterans Day in the United States (often mistaken for Memorial Day, which honors those who died in service and was observed last May 27) pays tribute to all who have served. The U.S. is home to about 18 million veterans, according to Census Bureau data.

In Costa Rica, the veterans group Marine Corps League, founded in 2010, has expanded its membership invitation.

Also known as the Marine Corps Warriors League, includes about 20 members who served in conflicts such as Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

“The Marine Corps Warriors League’s policy states that membership may not be denied based on race, religion, sex, creed, or national origin,” said Andrew (Andy) Pucek, past commandant of the Marine Corps League Costa Rica.

Among its community projects, the organization assists the U.S. Embassy Marine Security Guard Detachment and leads the annual Toys 4 Tots Christmas event.

“Since 2014, the Marine Corps League Costa Rica has collected and distributed more than 6,000 toys to children across the country,” Pucek said.

 

Those interested in supporting the toy drive can contact the organization at +(506) 8721-6636, +(506) 8582-2505, or +(506) 8605-3912. More information about the group and other veterans’ activities in Costa Rica is available on the Marine Corps Warriors League Costa Rica website.

The U.S. Embassy and Consular Section in San José will remain closed on Tuesday in observance of Veterans Day and will reopen on Wednesday during regular business hours, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The British Embassy in Costa Rica typically marks the occasion on social media by sharing an image of red poppies, the symbol of remembrance inspired by the World War I poem “In Flanders Fields” by Canadian Lt. Col. John McCrae.

The embassy’s Armistice Day commemoration took place early Tuesday at the National Park in San José, where the ambassador and embassy representatives will lay a wreath at the National Monument.

The sculptural ensemble, created by French artist Louis-Robert Carrier-Belleuse and inaugurated in 1895, is considered Costa Rica’s most important monument. It symbolizes the Central American nations’ victory over filibustering forces that sought to conquer the region between 1855 and 1857, a tribute to peace and freedom.

Veterans Day, originally known as Armistice Day, was first observed on Nov. 11, 1919, when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the holiday to honor the fallen soldiers of World War I. In 1954, Congress officially changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

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Should the expat community in Costa Rica organize an official event to commemorate Veterans' and Remembrance Day? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com