Saturday Manassas will hold its first ever Veterans Day Parade. The Parade begins at 11:00 am and will commence along the same route as the Christmas Parade.

There is quite a parade line up which you can view at the following website:  Line UP

From Emma:

I just wanted to remind everyone that Manassas will have its Veteran’s Day parade tomorrow at 11 am. The parade committee located over 100 WWII Vets living in Manassas Area. The First Cavalry Honor Guard from Fort Hood Texas is supposed to present colors.

I think it’s going to have a lot more meaning than anyone anticipated, and I would encourage everyone to get out there and cheer on our vets and honor our active-duty soldiers.

Additionally, she added: 

[I] Forgot to add that the parade will feature a Blackhawk flyover, a moment of silence and the national anthem right after the WWII veterans arrive at the reviewing stage.

 

It definitely sounds like a fun event full of honor and regalia for our veterans. A big thank you to Emma for the selling points.

20 Thoughts to “First Ever Manassas Veterans Day Parade November 7, 2009”

  1. Second-Alamo

    Fantastic!
    It’s great to see something about the armed forces presented as positive instead of all the negative crap about Gitmo, as if in the scale of things that really matters.

  2. Emma

    I’ll be there to cheer on my favorite WWII vet as well as my Boy Scout son. It’s going to be a great day in the City.

  3. SA, I don’t think you have seen too much negative here about the military.

    I agree.

    Are you a vet?

  4. We have done rolling thunder, Lori Piestawae all in a positive light, the D Day Memorial, just to name a few things

  5. Poor Richard

    Scheduled as part of today’s parade:

    – “The Nation’s Finest – First Team Honor Guard – 1st Calvary Division,
    Fort Hood Texas”.

  6. The USS New York is also being dedicated this morning around 11 if TV is to be believed.

  7. Check out the Old Town Manassas web cam at http://www.visitmanassas.org/camera/
    The parade’s one street over, but you can see the pavilion set up for the events afterward, until 4 p.m.

  8. Second-Alamo

    MH,
    Yes I am, back in the day when it wasn’t popular. Few parades back then.

  9. I know exactly what you are referring to, vintage man. 😉

    I thought you probably were a vet. Thanks for your service. Have your feelings about that war changed?

    Which branch of the service?

  10. Second-Alamo

    The only thing that seems strange is that after it’s over and done, win or lose, everyone eventually tries to put it behind them as if it didn’t occur. Makes you wonder why it had to occur in the first place. We do business with our once worst enemies, and so why couldn’t we find a way to avoid war in the first place. It is those who act through the use of deadly force that cause wars, because the only way to defend against that type action is with equal or greater force, hence war. Think about the mideast. Some say we are the aggressors, yet we would be happy to lay down our weapons if those on the other side would do the same, but they have sworn to never do that, and so what are we to do? One thing I know for sure, if you’re going to put people in harms way it better be for a damn good reason, and you better plan on winning. None of this fight and hold forever BS that we find ourselves caught up in once again. Once was enough!

  11. I think everyone needs to pay close attention to your words, SA. They are filled with importance.

    I was all rah rah over our war. Location probably had the most to do with it. College in Virginia near Quantiico, Belvoir, Fort Meyer doesn’t do much to make a girl a rebel. Plus I knew if I got involved in any protests, my parents would have jerked me out of college so fast my head would have spun. (and they told me that just in case my powers of intuition weren’t so good)

    It was justified because…our government told us it was. One of the most ‘kick in the gut’ days of my life was when I saw those POWs return home and get off that plane. The next kick in the gut was the fall of Saigon. Horrible. Then hold that memory until you go to the wall and see 60,000 of your generation engraved it that wall, in perpetuity. That’s when I did a 180. Having a son sealed the deal.

    I am very proud of our generation though. Again, they did what they had to do.

    One thing I know for sure, if you’re going to put people in harms way it better be for a damn good reason, and you better plan on winning. None of this fight and hold forever BS that we find ourselves caught up in once again. Once was enough!

    100% agreement. Thanks for sharing, SA. I would like to talk with you further about this subject.

  12. So, how did it go? Poor Richard, Emma, report in please. We want details!

  13. Poor Richard

    I think it went very well, especially for the first time, and all the people who
    worked so hard to organize it deserve a big thank you. It was particularly
    moving to see how much meaning it had for our local vets, especially the
    more senior ones.

  14. Opinion

    Little known fact: veterans out of uniform are now permitted to render a hand salute when the U.S. flag is raised and lowered, passes in review, during the Pledge of Allegiance, and during the playing of the National Anthem (instead of the usual had over the heart – Veteran’s Salute Provision included in Section 595 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, S. 3001). Pass it on.

  15. Poor Richard

    “This first Veterans Day Parade honors all veterans. However, for this first
    year, we decided to focus on WWII veterans as grand marshals in total.

    What you have witnessed today is the culmination of many individuals
    working together with the mission to honor all veterans and to educate
    and inspire community awareness while paying tribute to the service and
    sacrifices veterans have endured in the pursuit of freedom.”

    Greater Manassas Veteran’s Day Parade program guide (11-7-2009)

  16. Emma

    It was a gorgeous day, and very moving to see the enthusiasm of the WWII veterans and to watch the Rolling Thunder guys salute them as they passed the reviewing stand. The parade emcee is a Vietnam War vet and a great patriot and friend. An onlooker told him he was “so much better than that guy who does the St. Patrick’s Day parade” –too funny since he is the same guy 🙂 I love how they took care of the WWII vets by having them ride in a float, and then parking the float right across from the reviewing stand so they could have a great view of the rest of the parade.

    It was great to see so many people of all ages come out and enjoy this event full of some good, old-fashioned American patriotism. We needed that.

  17. Emma

    Opinion, I learned that today at the parade, when the emcee reminded the veterans that they were entitled to salute the colors.

  18. That is fabulous about the WWII vets. Time is a reality here and I am so happy they were honored in a special way.

    Was the group just those who had served in the military or did it include anyone involved with the war effort? WWII began 68years ago this December. If those who served had to be at least 17 we are talking about the younger ones being 85 or there abouts.

    Thanks for everyone’s input! Great reporting.

  19. Emma, thanks for the post. Couldn’t have done it without you. 😉

  20. Emma

    The oldest veteran there was Claude “Buck” Albrite, age 95, who was given the honor of Senior Grand Marshal for the parade, and all of the WWII vets were named as the Grand Marshals, with the 1st Cavalry Division from Fort Hood presenting the colors to them.

    You’re quite welcome, Moon. It was a wonderful day.

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