A Thank You to our Veterans!

In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.
          ~Jose Narosky

When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep? 
          ~George Canning

Today Lanny and I had the incredible honor of participating in the Veterans' Day Parade in downtown Indianapolis. Lanny was asked if he would be willing to drive our 1950 Studebaker Champion convertible in the parade, carrying 3 World War II veterans who had participated in the Indiana Veterans' Honor Flight project. I drove downtown with him, then was able to watch and photograph the parade from the sidelines while Lanny drove the car.

The Indy Veterans' Honor Flight project was formed to help get World War II vets to Washington, DC so they could see the monuments built in their honor. These brave men and women returned from war 65+ years ago, and did not seek glory or fame in their service. In fact, many of them did not or could not speak of their war experiences for many, many years. Instead, they went to work to build our nation and raise their families. Over time, the stories of these brave men and women began to become known. And with the recognition, there was an awareness that they are aging and we are losing them over time. They saved the world from Hitler and Japan, and deserve to tell their stories and be recognized for their sacrifices...

The day was warm and clear. The sun was bright. It was a perfect day for a parade! We parked Ruby (the Studebaker) at the Armory downtown, where 3 aging vets climbed in the car. There were 3 other Studebakers, one loaded with women vets, and the other two with more men. Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops accompanied the 4 cars on foot, carrying poster sized photographs from World War II of vets that had been taken on an honor flight. We had photos from WWII of the three vets in our car-- the changes over 65 years were pretty profound. The shining young faces in uniform scarcely resembled the old folks in the car... except for the smiles, of course!

The parade is huge-- it literally stretched for a couple miles, and took over 2 hours to pass by. I saw floats from VFW posts, more carloads of vets from all the more recent wars. There were veteran group bands, high school bands, motorcycle veteran groups, vets on foot, riding in the back of trucks, a group of vets driving Vettes (that is, a fleet of Corvettes driven by vets!), as well as kitschy groups like the Indianapolis Police Motorcycle team (who perform syncronized motorcycle stunts), a human flag and the Shriners Murat Flying Fezzes (a group of Shriners who drive this silly biplane looking contraption that is on a car chassis...). Lots of music, lots of color, lots of fun.

a Veterans' Band

The Human Flag

Broadripple High School Marching Band

A Veterans' Honor Guard Motorcycle group

Submarine Veterans' float

But there was also a serious side to all this. I stood on the street next to four men wearing hats and sweatshirts that indicated they were vets:  two from the Navy, one from the Army, and one Marine. Time and again people stopped to tell them "Thank you for your service!"  One woman, who was marching with a USO group, came over to shake their hands and said, "We are in the presence of greatness when we shake the hands of people such as you four..." People on the sidewalk watching the parade often yelled "THANKS!" out to vets who were marching. Many spectators, especially little kids, were waving flags.

It was a day to celebrate and to remember and to thank those who have served. It was a good day!