D-M Airmen participate in Veterans Day parade

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Mary Pekas
  • 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Airmen from Davis-Monthan celebrated Veterans Day alongside more than 3,000 participants at Tucson's 88th Annual Veterans Day Parade Monday.

The parade, hosted by the American Legion Post Seven and the city of Tucson, drew hundreds of spectators to downtown Tucson to watch veterans' organizations, color guards, military formations, high school marching bands, and a four-ship F-16 flyover by the 162nd Fighter Wing.

"It's the biggest (Veterans Day) parade we had in the city of Tucson in a long time," said Robert Moody, parade chairman. "We had a lot of great support from everybody."

The base honor guard and students from the Airman Leadership School represented D-M in the parade, and Col. Kent Laughbaum, 355th Fighter Wing commander, served as a reviewing officer.

"Serving as the reviewing official at the Tucson Veterans Day Parade was a true privilege for me," said Colonel Laughbaum. "I had the honor of saluting veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War and our ongoing combat operations. My feelings during the parade included a deep bond of kinship with these veterans as well as a sense of thankfulness for their sacrifices."

Mayor Bob Walkup served as the parade's grand marshal by leading entries through the parade route to the reviewing stand at Alvarado Park.

Several veterans groups stopped at the stand to pay respect to their fellow comrades by performing Taps, releasing doves, or leading the reviewing officials and spectators in prayer. Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps detachments also found the opportunity to perform choreographed rifle maneuvers and unarmed exhibition drills for the officials' review.

Parade coordinators relied on volunteers from the base and the National Guard to help line up the participants and keep them on time, said parade co-chair Al Hubert.

"Without the military, I think we wouldn't have pulled it off at all. They helped us immensely," said Mr. Hubert.

"The parade, I feel, was successful," said Mr. Moody. "We paid respect to the veterans of Tucson."