Five planes flew in formation overhead, kicking off the Veterans Day celebration parade in Cortez that shut down Montezuma Avenue at 1 p.m. Monday
“Veterans Day is a celebration, not a mourning,” said John Davis III, a Vietnam veteran and quartermaster at the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Cortez.
“It draws attention to veterans, their sacrifice and all they’ve done,” said Davis. “I didn’t get on a plane to Vietnam on my own, it was someone else’s orders.”
People lined the street, watching the procession of people and floats adorned in red, white and blue as they passed by.
The Montezuma-Cortez high and middle school marching bands played, while their peers participated in color guard or waved small American flags.
“We passed out little flags to kids, and their faces lit right up,” said Shelia Pendleton, who walked with the Girl Scouts of Cortez in the parade.
Pendleton said she was pleased by the turnout, and how it’s a testament to the love and support of the community.
“This is a veteran-strong county,” said Davis. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
The parade, sponsored by the American Legion, was made possible by veterans coming together and a greatly supportive community, said Mike Brunk, a Vietnam veteran, who has helped put on the parade for seven years now.
“It’s a privilege to do this. It’s a real joy to meet so many people; it’s great,” Brunk said.
Kinleigh Bane, after walking in her third parade and fourth year as a Girl Scout, said she enjoyed being part of the celebration, especially because her friends are Girl Scouts too.
“I feel double celebrated today. (After the election) we now have good leadership who will build up the military,” said Glen Baer, an 11th Armored Cavalry veteran who was stationed in Germany at the border with Czechoslovakia.
“I got to see communism … a definite comparison of democracy versus socialism,” said Baer. “I’m proud to be American.”
Another veteran of the Vietnam War who carried the Marine Corps flag in the parade told The Journal how, when he returned from war, “there was nothing to come home to.”
“Young people spit on us, called us names,” he remembered.
But today, he felt celebrated.
“Today, yes, but not a lot,” he said. “I think people forget.”
He said that yesterday, he went into a store wearing the same hat he had on at the time of the interview – one that read “Vietnam Veteran.”
“I walked around with that hat on and nobody said anything, just the day before Veterans Day,” he said. “Veterans have sacrificed to keep everyone free, so why not say thanks?”
