Veterans parade, program to honor veterans

BY KADIE TAYLOR

THE LAFAYETTE SUN

CHAMBERS
COUNTY — Marching to honor veterans, the Chambers County Community Health and Wellness Center is hosting its third annual Veterans Day Parade and Program, on Nov. 8, at 404 9th Ave. S.W. in LaFayette.

“We will have the parade lined up at 8:30 a.m., and we will start to march at 9 a.m. at Vines Funeral Home — we will march around the Nursing Home and honor our veterans [there],” said Chambers County Community Health and Wellness Center Administrative Coordinator Debra Ward. “We're going to do a program at 11 a.m. here at the Community Health and Wellness Center, and after we finish the program, we will serve our veterans and their families lunch. We will pin the veterans with a pen and a flag — [and spend time] saluting them, honoring them and loving on them. We will have vendors and materials so they can talk to some of the administration from the Veterans Administration.”

Ward said the purpose of the Veterans Parade and Program is to honor veterans and the freedoms Americans have as a result of their service.

“The Veterans Parade is an event that will celebrate all veterans,” she said. “All the veterans that have served in whatever branch of service, or whatever service they have rendered — we're just celebrating that they served. The fallen ones and the ones who are still standing, we just want to love them, show how much we appreciate them for all that they've done and what they're doing. We want to honor them in our county and surrounding areas.”

Since the start of the Veterans Parade and Program three years ago, Ward said she has seen community support and attendance increase.

“This will be our third year, and the first year we started out smaller,” she said. “We were in the Community Wellness Center, and we outgrew that the second time. We had about 180 participants, so we grew out of the building. So this time, we have prepared. We're preparing for as many as would like to come out and celebrate with us, and we're going to serve everybody who comes out. So all food is free. Everything is free; there's no charge. Just come out and enjoy, eat, drink and be merry.”

With Veterans Day approaching, Ward said the Veterans Day Parade and Program is a place to honor veterans who too often go unrecognized.

“I just don't think that we honor and we recognize our veterans enough,” she said. “I don't recall the amount [of veterans] that we have here locally in the county, but I do know that we have a large number. In my studies, I found that we have a lot of veterans here, some known and some unknown. [I hope this event] allows them to have an opportunity to come and share — know that we still see you, we hear you and we haven't forgotten about you and the service that you have [done] and the duties that you have performed. We thank you. We salute you.”

For more information, visit the Chambers County Community Health and Wellness Center on Facebook.