Memorial Day Parades

[FIREFIGHTER22JP]

Who had or took part in a memorial day parade today?

Better yet, who has pictures??

I have some from our parade today up on my departments website.

Check em out.

http://www.exportvfd.com

[Kvfcjr]

Ours was rained out

[MFD901]

Rained out, oh well, there is always next year!

[dragonfyre]

Ours was rained out but a few of us still went to the memorial service held by the VFW & American Legion.

Took our first out pumper, parked it where it could be seen. Made for great PR for the fire company and we were thanked for attending during the service and afterwards.

We should NEVER forget those who gave their all so we can have the freedoms we have today.

[Dalmatian90]

Ours like others got rained on. Fortunately our town's parade starts & ends at the Fairgrounds, so the ceremonies moved indoors to one of the 75' x 300' exhibition buildings. We got something just shy of 3" of rain on Monday.

[NJFFSA16]

My agency participated in the Pompton Lakes, NJ parade on Sunday....sending three engines and Smokey Bear. Viewing attendance was...pi** poor, to say the least. It seems that the importance and the meaning....have been lost over the years.

Sorry....Smokey said, "no photos."

[KYChief350]

We had a parade - sponsored by the local American Legion and VFW posts. Been doing it for 30 years this year.

In our small community, almost everyone gets into the act. Farmers pull wagons decorated in patriotic themes and loaded with flag-waving kids. We have a bunch of fire trucks, some loaded with the kids and grandkids of firefighters. Veteran groups march. There are antique cars and trucks and horse-drawn buggys. Custom cars. You name it.

The amazing thing is that everyone's been doing it for so long that they all know just what is supposed to happen and when. There is absolutely no effort at all goes into the parade. I swear, if the VFW and Legion one year decided that they weren't going to do it, everyone would show up and have a parade spontaneously, just out of force of habit. There are actually more people in the parade than are left to watch it! Real grass-roots Americana here!

The Legion puts on a nice program where they award a couple of prizes for patriotic essays written by grade school kids. They also give a citizen of the year award. This year one of my fire department's Captains got it, both for his fire department and ems service, and also for his Vietnam service as a Green Beret. A new twist this year was that they played the anthems of each military service, and as the anthem played for each they had all of the veterans of that service come forward.

Great day!

The award ceremony takes place at our main fire station, where the Legion has constructed a monument that is the focus of the ceremony. After the ceremony, there's a community pot-luck luncheon.

Good time had by all!