Like most people in the area, Bill Quick would like to see some rain.
But not on Saturday.
Quick, post commander at American Legion Post 69 in Columbus, hopes for good weather on Saturday for the Columbus Veterans Day parade and other ceremonies downtown.
“Last year, it rained out the parade, so we’re hoping for better luck Saturday,” Quick said.
The forecast is favorable, with a prediction of mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low-to-mid 60s for the parade, which begins at 10 a.m.
It is one of several events scheduled in the Golden Triangle to observe Veterans Day, which falls on Friday this year.
The history of the holiday goes back to the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 — the day marking the end of World War I and known as Armistice Day. It was declared a national holiday in 1938 and renamed Veterans Day in 1954.
Saturday’s parade in Columbus will begin at the Municipal Complex and travel down Main Street before turning north on Sixth Street North and ending at the Lowndes County Courthouse.
At 11 a.m., a ceremony will be held in front of the courthouse with Colonel Douglas Gosney, 14th Flying Training Wing Commander, serving as the keynote speaker. A fly-over by a formation of T-38 Talons is also planned.
The celebration is a joint effort by Lowndes County, the City of Columbus, American Legion Post 69 and Columbus Air Force Base.
Sonic Johnson, public affairs coordinator for Columbus Air Force Base, said this year’s event has special meaning and not just because weather interfered last year.
“All the veterans groups all come together for this event and that’s really neat,” Johnson said. “We’ll have a veteran from D-Day and every war right up to someone who has just returned from Afghanistan. This doesn’t just celebrate today’s airmen, but 70 years of our past, honoring what our men and women have done in the service of our country.
“I think coming off this tumultuous election season, we really need something like this,” he added. “The one thing all of us can agree on is what a debt of gratitude we owe to the men and women who are serving and have served in our military.”
Starkville/MSU events
On Friday, Mississippi State will hold a series of events to commemorate the holiday. Veterans Day activities begin at 8 a.m. on the Drill Field with a continuous reading of names of the nearly 7,000 military personnel who have died during the current War on Terror.
Eddie Scales, veterans outreach coordinator for the Sonny Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans, said the venue is particularly important.
“Having it at the Drill Field, where students congregate, really does expose our students to the sacrifices our veterans have made,” said Scales, who is an Iraq War veteran. “You would be surprised how many students simply don’t know anything about the War on Terror. It’s a very moving ceremony and a way to honor our veterans.”
At 10 a.m., the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will hold its tribute at the Veterans Memorial Rose Garden, located across State Highway 182 from the main campus at the R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Center. Reserve Officer Training Corps members will raise and lower the flag as members of the Famous Maroon Band play the national anthem and other arrangements.
At 2:30 p.m., the Drill Field name-reading will pause for a formal ceremony featuring remarks by President Mark E. Keenum and Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt. A joint-service color guard will present the colors for a program that also includes personnel from the land-grant institution’s Army and Air Force ROTC programs.
Also in Starkville, the Oktibbeha County Museum will be open from 1-4 p.m. and feature an exhibit of historic memorabilia from Camp Shelby.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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