Lt. Col. Oliver North serves as Grand Marshall

This year’s 97th Fresno Veterans Day Parade celebrated the men and women who have served our country in a day of appreciation, Nov. 11. These people have put their lives on the line for us and, as U.S. citizens, the day was a way to thank every veteran both in and along the parade route.

Saying a thanks goes a long way for these veterans. Them knowing that citizens appreciate them for what they have done for this country can help them a lot.

Hundreds of veterans showed up for their day and the festivities. People from all around the San Joaquin Valley were there with their families and friends. One spectator, Suman Sandhu, was there with her family. She enjoys coming to the parade ever since she moved to the area.

“This is one of the most prestigious events in the state,” Sandhu said. “It helps the entire Valley come together and thank the veterans who have served in the wars. I like to take my children to this event because I feel like I need to show them the importance of thanking the people that fight for us. One thanks can help the veterans go through whatever problems they might be going through.”

This year the main army branch that was honored was the Marine Corps. However, all branches of the military were honored as always. Grand Marshall Lt. Col. Oliver North was one of the most famous people to ever be a part of the Marine Corps. He was one of the main people honored in this years parade.

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Veterans were seen all around across “P” Street and were being thanked. Veteran Jim Wolsey, who was apart of the United States Air Force, was happy to see all the people coming together as one community to honor the veterans.

“I am so proud of the valley for showing such support for our troops,” Wolsey said. “I come every year ever since I moved to Fresno from the mid west. I always reserve out this weekend so I can spend it with my family and go to the parade. It always puts a big smile across my face seeing the parade getting bigger and bigger every year.”

There were plenty of floats going down “P” Street in front of City Hall that were showing their respects for the many veterans. Damon Harrison, a member of the LPSI Vikings community organization, says that being involved in this event year after year helps him grow as a human being.

“I just wanted to come out here and show my support,” Harrison said. “These veterans have done so much to help out our country and I think a little thanks can help us achieve more. This parade helps me become a better person and helping out with the Vikings community really makes me want to do more. We help disabled people be recognized and I feel like this type of big event in the valley helps us as a community come together.”

Campus student Brennen Tolzien, ’21, was one of the participants in the parade this year. This year FC took their marching band and color guard to the parade. They were confident in the way their performance turned out.

“It was very scary at first when we started performing,” Tolzien said. “However, with my fellow members of color guard backing me up it began to get a little bit less tense. It was also really fun to be able to put a smile on people’s faces. It was very amazing being able to be part of such an important event and honoring our veterans. Some of them were cheering us on which was pretty encouraging as well.”

Many veterans had many interesting stories to tell at the parade. One Vietnam veteran John (last name not given) talked about how it is so much more different then it is now.

‘’I am so happy to see this many people come out and show us support,” John said.”I appreciate everyone coming out and showing their appreciation towards us. It wasn’t like this when we came back from war. People would ignore us and think we had some sort of diseases. Turns out, we had no diseases and we were ready to get back to our normal lives. Only then did people come and thank us for our service.”

This year’s Veterans Day parade was very inspirational to many individuals. It helped some specific people find the light and really appreciate what some people do for our country.

To all those who have served in our country, thank you!

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For another article read: Family shares generational devotional for Chicago Cubs.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @sukyboiii and via email: Suky Cheema.