The annual Phoenix Veterans Day Parade moved through central and downtown Phoenix on Tuesday to honor U.S. veterans.
The parade started at the North Phoenix Baptist Church with about 100 or so participants and many others watching from the sidelines. The parade moved down Central Avenue until Camelback Road, where the procession turned left and then took a right on Seventh Street, continuing on until it reached Indian School Road.
Though it was a happy day to celebrate all that past and current veterans do for our country, there was an underlying melancholy feeling. They may be a nice gesture, but parades and condolences will not bring the soldiers we’re honoring — and those we’ve lost — home.
Some people watching the parade only do so to honor the veterans. I know that’s what I used to do. I would turn on the television on Veterans Day, watch the parade, post a status on social media about honoring veterans and feel like I have done my part.
My grandfather, a Korean War veteran, passed away years ago. I’ve never known how to do more than post a picture of an American flag to honor those who have served. To remember him, I would add his name to the picture or post, saying something such as “R.I.P. Grandpa. I miss you.” To me, it seemed incredibly trivial and did little to honor the veterans. But what else was there?
Now, seeing the veterans in the parade, I realized that there really is not much else I can do.
Soldiers addressing the crowd kept saying “thank you for your support,” and I realized it’s important to recognize how much they’ve done for the country. That little acknowledgement by ordinary people in the crowd is enough. The best I can do is just support them, be at that parade, honor them in any way possible.
So I will continue to post those statuses, because to me, that’s still a way of honoring our veterans. We may not be able to ease the losses or relate to what they’ve experienced, but we can work to understand the sacrifice they made. All we can do is honor them in any way possible.
If honoring them means attending a parade to smile, wave a flag and cheer as soldiers young and old, current and former, pass by with their thanks — that’s enough, I think.
Contact the photographer at Nikiana.Medansky@asu.edu. Contact the columnist at Courtney.Pedroza@asu.edu.
