Parade puts spotlight on veterans

JENNIFER HLAD
November 4, 2007 - 12:12AM
DAILY NEWS STAFF

As the Drug Abuse Resistance Education car rolled past and the 2nd Marine Division Band began to play the first notes of the Marines' Hymn, a tiny 6-year-old girl in a large pink jacket began to shriek.

"Here they come! Here they come!" she yelped, wiggling and dancing with excitement.

So began the 12th annual Jacksonville Veterans Day Parade.

The parade was filled with more than 130 groups of active-duty service members, veterans and community members showing their support for everyone who has served - about 2,000 people marching and riding down Western Boulevard.

Retired Marine and Vietnam veteran Ed Davis stood on the sidewalk with his son, watching the parade pass by.

Davis said he's never missed the local parade and has participated as a member of the In-Country Vietnam Veterans of Onslow County. But the organization's numbers are dwindling, as many members pass away, he said.

The parade is important, Davis said, because it shows the community's support for the military and the veterans - a stark contrast to how troops were treated when they returned home from Vietnam.

"People threw garbage at us, yelled at us," he said.

Bobby Caps served 32 years in the Army National Guard before his retirement. He said he wished there were more people lining the streets for the parade.

"It's a shame more people didn't come out," he said. "This city thrives on the military, so why not patronize it."

Four-year-olds Macoy Wilkinson and Paul Boyd may not have served in the military, but the boys still enjoyed the parade.

For Wilkinson, the best part was the candy. And, he said, the Marines.

"My dad is a Marine at work," he said.

The parade was coordinated and hosted by Rolling Thunder Inc. Chapter NC-5.

Francis Kyle - part of the first wave of troops to land on the beach as part of the Normandy invasion in World War II - served as the parade's grand marshal.

And three organizations took home prizes for their creativity and participation. The DOOR Christian Church won $100 and a first-place trophy for their float, while Boy Scout Pack 790 placed second, and the Vietnam Memorial placed third.

Contact military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 8467. To comment on this story, visit www.jdnews.com.

Video
http://www.jdnews.com/video/index.ph...tid=1287024273

Ellie