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ARMED
FORCES WEEK |
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To comment or request information: pop@ipspress.com
For veterans and other information: National Armed Forces Day Observance April Parade Information and Staff
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Reprinted from the May issue of Commercial Network magazine, published by Maj. Gen. Bill Raines, USA Retired The Chattanooga Area
Veterans Council By Pete Chaney Chattanooga has the landmarks to show it’s the
Most Patriotic City in America. Soldiers
and Sailors Memorial Auditorium. Veterans
Bridge. Medal of Honor
Museum. Countless monuments
around the area from Chickamauga Battlefield to the Battle for Lookout
Mountain. It shows the patriotism by action, too. Chattanooga is the only city its size to have an
uninterrupted Armed Forces Day Parade since that day was marked in 1948 by
President Harry Truman. First Armed Forces Day was May 15, 1949. On May 7 of this year, the 55th Armed Force
Observance took place in Chattanooga. The parade was set to begin at 10:30 AM after
participants gather between 12th Street and M.L. King to move north to
Third Street, then west to Broad Street for disbursement. The annual Armed Forces Week Observance banquet will follow
at noon in the Silver Room of the Read House. Don Loftis, former superintendent of Hamilton
County schools and a Vietnam spotter pilot, was named parade grand
marshal. Keynote speaker at
the banquet was named as Maj. Gen. Patrick H. Brady, USA-Retired. The week long observance began on May 3 to include
static displays of military equipment at different locations, a
“boss’s breakfast” May 6 at 7:30 AM in the Crystal Room of the Choo
Choo sponsored by the Department of Defense, a VIP reception May 6 from
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM in the National Guard Armory on Holtzclaw Avenue, the
parade and banquet on May 7 and a trip on the Coast Guard cutter Quachita
round trip to Ross’s Landing, by reservation only. This is the US Army’s year to host the event
which is sponsored by the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council. Jim Schull is CAVC chairman and Jim Ratcliff is past chairman
and parade liaison officers. Civilian
Chairman for the parade was Bill Knowles and Carl Levi Military Chairman. Dawn Patterson served as parade committee
secretary. CAVC
secretary is Mary Smith. Gen. Brady spent 34 years in the military, from
Berlin when the Wall was going up to Vietnam where he was a helicopter
pilot and received the Medal of Honor on Jan. 20, 1980, from President
Richard Nixon. He is credited
with saving the lives of Americans on the battlefield under near
impossible conditions, flying over 2,000 combat missions and evacuating
over 5,000 wounded persons. He developed techniques for rescue missions at
night and in foul weather which became a textbook for the military.
He is one of a handful of Americans to receive both the Medal of
Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest
award. The Chattanooga area has two Medal of Honor
recipients—Charles H. Coolidge and Desmond Doss. Theme of this year’s parade is “Preserving
Freedom for the Future—Thank you to our armed forces.”
Clear Channel contributes billboard displays throughout the city. Next year Curtis Adams will be civilian chairman
and Patty Parks will be military chairman. Despite many obstacles, the parade observance has
been continuous since 1949. Last
year, flooding through the area brought the possibility of canceling. Schools
were closed and many streets were only beginning to be passable from
floods. A VIP reception at
the National Guard Armory was cancelled because of floodwaters. Determination was made to continue.
One high school—Soddy Daisy—participated. Ten years ago the parade was almost terminated
completely. Dorothy Brammer,
Charles and Frances Coolidge and others had carried the load for over 40
years. There seemed to be an
apathy and lack of enthusiasm for the observance. The Chattanooga Area Veterans Council, originally
called The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Coordinating Committee, was begun
in 1983 to serve the veteran organizations of Tennessee, Georgia and
Alabama in this area cooperate for veteran benefits and services. With Ralph Wilson as Honor Guard commander,
veterans funerals are scheduled through the organization. Veterans Day and Memorial Day services as well as the parade
are sponsored. Bryant L. Cook
was the first CAVC chairman. Bill Carman, a retired Air Force sergeant, was
chairman of the CAVC in 1994 which wanted to see the parade continued.
He named a committee to meet with Gaines Hobbs, executive assistant
to Mayor Gene Roberts. They were Ralph Wilson, Bob Lahiere, John Jones, Edit Adkins
and Pete Chaney. The city
promised cooperation. Organizational meeting was held at the Army
Reserve Center on 23rd Street. Edith
Adkins was chosen as chairperson to use the experience she gained working
with the parade. A former
schoolteacher, she called on two of her former fifth grade students to
help. Col. Bill Raines, now a major general, became military projects
officer and Earl Freudenberg was publicity chairman.
Shirley Pond was the secretary. It was a modest—and rushed—start.
With only the experience of Ms. Adkins and those she pulled in,
there were just a few weeks to put it together. The 50th anniversary of the end of World War II
was marked in 1995. That
became the theme of the parade. In
past and future years, branches of military services would rotate as
hosts. That year was a salute
to veterans was the theme. A modest prayer breakfast was held at Miller Park
with sausage, biscuits coffee and juice.
Guest speaker was Lt. Gen. Ronald Griffith of Northwest Georgia.
He spoke to the small group gathered out doors. The parade was held and has continued.
Civilian chairmen have included business leaders and public
officials such as Jim Berry, John Germ and Marilyn Lloyd.
Among the military chairmen have been Don Rogers, George Bolus and
Gary Petty. Since that rock start, the parade has become a
smoothly run program and benefits from those who return each year to help.
Volunteers such as Edith Whitman, Ernie Seagle, Jim Darling,
Willard Sesson, Bill Hewitt, Tom McConnell and many others are there each
year. Further information on the parade is available on
the website: http://www.ipspress.com/afdparade.htm.
Material on this site is available for use in promotion of the observance.
Armed Forces Day Parade Committee Website provided by IPS and IPS Features
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