A Parade To Remember
5:10 PM · Aug 12, 2021Before the streets of downtown Roseburg were even paved, there have been great big parades there to honor our local Douglas County Veterans and those actively serving in the military. This November 11th, we will continue that respected and time-honored tradition. Early military celebrations had honored Veterans of specific eras, such as the Civil War, Plains Wars, Spanish-American War, and the Philippines War. Some celebrations were for specific branches, such as Army Day Parades. Many traditions have become associated with these events, such as marching bands, youth groups, horseback riders, flag waving, and decorated floats. Armistice Day was established to honor the end of World War I, the day the guns fell silent on the Western Front, which officially took place on November 11th, 1918 at 11am. 100 years ago, President Harding and Congress made an official proclamation to designate November 11th, 1921, as the first official observance of the Armistice Day legal holiday. Earlier in 1919, President Wilson had made the initial proclamation to commemorate the day. Roseburg’s Mayor followed suit with a 1921 proclamation echoing that announcement. The proclamation invited citizens to put on a grand celebration and to observe a two-minute moment of solemn reflection. Some may not realize that the holiday is still celebrated today internationally (Armistice Day and Remembrance Day). Armistice Day Parades continued nationally and locally, but they were narrow in their emphasis on the WWI Veterans and those that made the ultimate sacrifice, during WWI. In 1953, Alvin J. King proposed that Armistice Day be changed to “Veterans Day”, in Emporia, Kansas. The town agreed and Emporia has the distinction of being the official founding city of Veterans Day. Veterans of other wars and conflicts, such as WWII and the Korean War, lobbied Congress to change Armistice Day to Veterans Day, in 1954, in order to honor all Veterans. Congress and President Eisenhower agreed. On June 1st, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American Veterans of all wars, officially renaming the holiday, Veterans Day. 1955 was the first official Veterans Day parade, in Douglas County. It was sponsored by the Roseburg Chamber of Commerce and organized by local Veteran Service Organizations. The Roseburg Mayor issued a proclamation encouraging downtown businesses to facilitate the event, in order to make it a fitting and patriotic demonstration. At one point in history, San Francisco and Roseburg were the only officially designated parade locations, on the West Coast, recognized by the President’s National Veterans Day Observance Committee. In 1968, Congress acted again. This time, they wanted to change the dates of some major holidays to fall on Mondays. Veterans Day was moved from the historic date of November 11th to the 4th Monday in October. The first Veterans Day, under the new law, was observed with much confusion, in 1971. Most states rightly thought that it was a bad move and refused to recognize the movement of Veterans Day. It was apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to our citizens, and so in 1975, President Ford signed a new law, which returned Veterans Day to its original date of November 11th, beginning in 1978. A worthy tradition began so long ago. Our parade has well earned the title of “Oregon’s Greatest Veterans Day Parade”. A celebration to honor America's Veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. To bring Veterans together and honor them in such a meaningful way, with standing ovations as they pass by. Year after year, the streets downtown are lined with hundreds, if not thousands, of cheering spectators who come together, rain or shine, to offer a gesture of their appreciation to the men and women, who have served our Nation. Join with us, this Veterans Day as we honor all generations of Veterans. It's a celebration of our county’s patriotic spirit. The purpose of our 66th Annual Veterans Day Parade is to thank and honor all those who put on the uniform and served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime. The interactions during the event are brief, but the spirit of gratitude, by both the citizen and Veteran, are so prevalent. On July 27th 2021, our parade was selected by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Denis McDonough, and the Veterans Day National Committee as a Regional Site for the 2021 Veterans Day Commemoration! The Secretary of Veterans Affairs will notify Governor Brown of our selection and encourage support for our Veterans Day activities. The long-standing tradition of selecting a ceremonial Grand Marshal and a theme for each parade continues. This year the parade committee has selected the “Post 9/11 Global War On Terrorism (GWOT) Veterans” to be our Grand Marshals. The theme is a fitting one; “20 Years of Commitment… Honoring Those Who Have Served in Our Nation’s Longest War”. The Douglas County Veterans Day Parade Committee is an all-volunteer effort. It requires many willing volunteers to honor the contributions of our county’s Veterans, and to help build a patriotic display of our Douglas County spirit that recognizes the sacrifices our Veterans make, for our Nation. If you feel that you, or your organization, could help in some way, please contact us about a function that interests you. We could not put on an event like this without our wonderful volunteers! Douglas County Veterans Day Parade committee meetings are held normally the 1st Wednesday of the month, at 430pm. The parade committee begins meeting in March to get a good start on the enormous task of putting this parade “on the road” to honor our Veterans. Meetings are held in the Douglas County Veterans Service Office (Douglas County Courthouse, 1036 SE Douglas Avenue, Room 7, Roseburg, OR 97470). You can contact our coordinator at 503-504-8189. We encourage every Veteran and currently serving military members to attend, whether riding in the parade or not. Your community wants to see and recognize you! Many parade entries are offering Veterans to ride along the parade route with them. We also encourage citizens, schools, businesses, civic organizations, Veterans and their families to not only come to the parade, but also to consider entering a float, to show your patriotic spirit and appreciation. The application can be found at; https://douglascounty-oregon.us/DocumentCenter/View/8479/2021-Parade-Application Remember, only registered entries are allowed on the parade route and it only costs $5. Floats registered by October 29th are eligible to be judged for recognition awards. Late or same-day entries are allowed, but are not eligible for judging. Be sure to start your plans early. We look forward to the citizens of Douglas County making our 66th Annual Veterans Day event “A Parade to Remember”. For additional information, please call the Douglas County Veterans Day Parade coordinator at (503) 504-8189. The Veterans Day Parade Committee webpage can be found at https://douglascounty-oregon.us/507/Veterans-Day-Parade-Committee.
Thanks for sharing!
Aug 12, 2021