Cape Girardeau Veterans Day parade returns

The official holiday was two days earlier, but Cape Girardeau held a Veterans Day parade Saturday morning anyway, its first in 13 years.

Harley-Davidson motorcycles and police cars headed up the parade, traveling west on Broadway from Lorimier Street followed by veterans groups, their auxiliaries and all branches of service. The parade was relatively solemn until the Marching Tigers, the Central High School band, played "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and other patriotic tunes.

Donna Etzold of Cape Girardeau was there watching with her family. "It was a nice parade. Quick, though. Hopefully next year it will be bigger," she said. "This is a start." She was there with her father, Korean War veteran J.W. Lemonds.

A ceremony at Freedom Corner concluded the parade. The VFW Ladies Auxiliary laid a wreath there inscribed "Never Forget."

There have been other efforts to organize a Veterans Day parade during the past 13 years, said parade marshal Floyd Smith.

"Four years ago a group of us walked down to Freedom Corner together. We've also marched in Homecoming parades as veterans," he said.

Getting the parade going again was the brainchild of parade coordinator Sam Welker. Smith said the organizers held the parade Saturday because they were participating in veterans programs at schools on Thursday.

"We got a lot of heat from people about having it on Saturday," Welker said.

Smith served in the U.S. Army for three years and spent 36 years with the National Guard. He said it's important that everyone knows how veterans feel about their service. "At school ceremonies we try to get the message across that everything we've done, we've done for you. We try to tell kids you're our most prized possession."

For some, viewing the parade was an important way to show respect.

"I visited U.S. cemeteries while I was in Europe, and it was an overpowering experience," said Teri Buckenmeyer of Cape Girardeau. "I really felt compelled to walk and look at each and every name. I did this out of guilt. Here I was on vacation and there were these graves of young guys, 19 or 20 years old, who never had a chance to get married or have kids. Without them I wouldn't have been there."

Walking back down Broadway after the parade, Naval Reservists Glen Beussink of Cape Girardeau and Brad Troutt of Dexter, Mo., said it will be a good day when the soldiers from the 1140th Engineer Battalion now in Iraq can attend the parade.

"It would've been nice to see a bigger turnout, too," Troutt said.

Those who did turn out to watch sometimes had a special reason.

"I never had the privilege to serve," said Steve Meadows of Cape Girardeau, a history teacher at Notre Dame Regional High School. His son, Kyle, is currently serving in Iraq with the 1140th and has been there since February. The younger Meadows joined the National Guard when he was 17 and completed basic training during the summer between his junior and senior year.

"We're all proud of him," said his father.

One of Meadows' students, Angela Adams of Sikeston, Mo., also attended the parade. Her father, Franklin Adams, is also serving with the 1140th in Iraq. He has been gone since January. She has helped organize a military bulletin board at the school.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133