Hundreds of people lined the streets of downtown Toledo yesterday to listen to marching bands, wave at fire trucks, and to thank people like Johnnie Harris.
Seated in a wheelchair and wearing the many medals he collected during his time in the Army, Mr. Harris admitted he hasn't attended many Memorial Day parades in the past. But yesterday, the 85-year-old veteran of World War II raised his arm in a salute to the flag and proudly showed his discharge papers that listed his many accomplishments during the war.
"I feel fine," he said. "When I hear the anthem, it makes me happy."
With a parade route that stretched from the corner of Summit and Monroe streets to One Government Center, nearly 1,000 spectators converged downtown to honor and remember the men and women in the military.
The almost hour-long parade featured local high school marching bands, law enforcement vehicles, and local politicians. But it was those representatives from the branches of the military and support and veterans groups who prompted parade-goers to stand and cheer.
Denise Boyd and her grandchildren were among them.
Ms. Boyd said she comes to most of the city's parades, often with her grandchildren in tow. It's a chance to show them all the "goodness" that people and Toledo have to offer, she said.
"I love a parade. I love what they are, and I love what they represent," the Toledo woman said. "We ought to be out here to represent the community and show support for the troops."
Harry Chappell, who sat with his wife, Linda, said he would have liked to see more people lining the parade route. While a couple hundred crowded at both the start and finish of the parade route, only pockets of people populated the middle.
A Vietnam War veteran who spent five years in the Army and a tour and a half overseas, Mr. Chappell said he tries to attend Memorial Day events to show support for past and present members of the service. Yesterday, he sat along Summit Street waving a small American flag.
"I think the country really does support our troops," he said. "There's a war going on over there in Afghanistan and Iraq, and it's very important that people come out to these types of events to show support."
The grand marshal of the parade was Sylvania native Col. David Sutherland, who serves as special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs' of Staff. Colonel Sutherland addressed a smaller crowd at a service after the parade in the Civic Center Mall among the war memorials.
The colonel thanked those who have worn or continue to wear the uniform and acknowledged those who have died for their country. Specifically, he remembered Lt. Col. Thomas Belkofer, a Perrysburg native who was killed May 18 in Afghanistan and whose funeral was simultaneously taking place in nearby Perrysburg Township.
"Today we recognize the courage, perseverance, and commitment of those who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice," Colonel Sutherland said.
The almost hour-long service commenced with a fly-over by jets from the Ohio Air National Guard's 180th Fighter Wing followed by the deafening boom of the gun from a 1944 Sherman M4A3 tank. The tank, which was brought from Lima to participate in the parade, will stay parked off Jackson Street on the Civic Center Mall through Tuesday.
Several wreaths were placed on the All War Memorial in honor of those who have died. Wreaths also were placed at the Korean War memorial, the Vietnam memorial, and the Purple Heart monument.
In conclusion, a flag was placed at the memorial followed by a rifle volley.
Off to the side of the Civic Center Mall, friends Norma Blanchard and Doris Galloway rested with their grandchildren. Both women said they often come to the Memorial Day parade and chose this year to stay for the service.
Recognizing that a normal Saturday morning for their granddaughters would consist of television cartoons, the women said that this year, the girls sang the National Anthem while watching the American flag unfurl in the breeze.
"I think veterans are important people, and so we're here to honor the flag and the people who served," Ms. Galloway said. "This is what celebration is all about. You have to be a part of it."
Contact Erica Blake at:
eblake@theblade.com
or 419-213-2134.
First Published May 30, 2010, 1:55 p.m.