 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
St. Louis Front Page P.O. Box 1354 St. Louis, MO 63188 Voice: 314-771-0200 Fax: 314-771-0300 To submit news, contact: editor@slfp.com To advertise, contact: advertising@slfp.com 
|
by Bob Moore © 2003, St. Louis Front Page ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), November 8, 2003 - What happens if you give a parade and no one shows up. Is it the weather, or is it apathy? St. Louis, which has one of the largest Veterans Day Parade in the country received a dismal response from St. Louis. Thousands of military personnel and veterans participated in the event, far outnumbering the viewers who lined the streets of downtown St. Louis. If it wasn't for the families of the members of the parade units, it's shameful to think how many people would have been there to celebrate this day set aside to honor our war veterans. With flags waving in a cold breeze, the 20th St. Louis Veterans' Day Observance in downtown St. Louis began at Soldiers' Memorial, 1315 Chestnut, with musical selections by the group "Common Ground," followed by remarks from guest speaker, Ms. Linda Hope, a graduate of Saint Louis University. The U.S. Army Color Guard led the ceremony with the Advance of The Colors, followed by the singing of the National Anthem. Master of ceremonies and parade's narator was Ron Elz (Johnny Rabbit). War veterans and family members huddled together in the cold to wave flags and cheer over 100 units in the Veterans' Day Parade. Chris Nielson with the Bevo Chapter 611 Vietnam Veterans of America handed out POW-MIA flags. "I do this every parade to keep the issue alive because there are still 1,000 missing," stated Nielson, who served as a combat engineer from 1970 - 71. The parade was highlighted with a thunderous fly-over by four F-15 Eagles of the 131 FW, MO-Air National Guard in a two-man formation. Activities also included a POW/MIA Remembrance by the US Army, unveiling of the "Purple Heart" stamp by the US Postal Service presentation of the "Bob Hardy" Memorial Media award to Mr. Paul Brown, Mr. Dan Buck, and Ms. Jean Jackson for their on air work to support the USO at Lambert during the recent war in Iraq, and a presentation by the 3rd Bttn/24th Marines on behalf of their annual "Toy for Tots" Christmas charity toy drive. The Observance also featured a static display of helicopters, a WWI fighter, and other military equipment. 
2002 Veterans Day Observance "St. Louis Veteran's Day Observance Committee Honors Popular Local Radio Personality" 2001 Veterans Day Observance "Proud to Be an American" |
 |
 The Saint Louis Front Page is owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan Saint Louis area. Text or graphics may not be copied, rewritten or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission. For more information, contact editor@slfp.com All rights reserved world wide © 1996 - 2008 Moore Design Group . |
An American eagle was displayed to cheering war veterans and family members along the parade route.
