The Parade That Never Was by Jasmine Gordon : Dolphin Talk

The Parade That Never Was by Jasmine Gordon

Archived in the category: General Info

Posted by Joyce Rhyne on 25 Oct 12 - 0 Comments

In early August, Ron Kocian, founder of Warrior’s Weekend announced “The Parade That Never Was” would be held in downtown Victoria on Saturday, October 13, 2012 to honor Vietnam veterans. The parade’s purpose, which has been two years in the making, is to “Welcome home” Vietnam veterans and Vietnam Era veterans from Texas.

As I neared the downtown area in Victoria the streets were lined with veterans, organizations, bands, drill teams, car clubs, motorcycles, military vehicles and spectators. There was a huge crowd and for this being the first year to host this parade, its success was immediately evident.

“Thanks to all of you who participated and who love those who sacrifice and risk their lives in our military,” said Sherry Kocian. “Freedom is not free and none of us will ever forget it or those who fight for it!”

A sea of red, white and blue could be seen for blocks. Cheering, clapping and ‘thank yous’ echoed down Main Street. It was truly touching and as I teared up, across the street from me I could see others just as emotional.

As the veterans passed by, the crowd would begin to clap; to my left there was a gentleman who didn’t skip a beat. “Thank you,” he yelled proudly. “Thank you.” It brought smiles to the veterans as they turned and waved.

Banners with ‘We Love You, Thank You for Your Service’, and ‘We Salute You’ could be seen everywhere. A group of cheerleaders chanted, “USA, USA, USA!” One particular sign struck me like a ton of bricks: ‘Korean War Veterans, The Forgotten War Remembered’.

Kocian’s goal was to make a difference; I’m certain he accomplished his mission. The parade lasted two hours and was followed by a luncheon for the veterans, their families and Gold Star Families. There were over two hundred participants with organizations from Victoria, Port Lavaca, Seadrift, Port O’Connor, Edna and the surrounding area.

For more information about the Parade That Never Was and Warriors Weekend visit http://warriorsweekend.org. On behalf of everyone here at the Dolphin Talk, I’d like to say thank you to all of our veterans, in addition to servicemen and women, past and present.