After being dormant since the last parade in 2019, the Veteran’s Day parade in downtown Augusta will return Saturday, Nov. 11.
The parade will travel from 14th Street at Broad Street to Fifth Street starting at 10 a.m.
Rebecca Shores, chairperson of the Veterans Day Ad Hoc Committee, says that the COVID pandemic originally halted the parade and other issues arose in the following years.
“We tried the drive by parade thing, but that was just not the same,” Shores said.
The parade was set to return last year, but several things, including a hurricane prevented the plans from happening.
In 2022, Hurricane Nicole threatened the East coast, with both the Florida and Georgia governors declaring states of emergency in anticipation of the massive storm. With the hurricane on the horizon, organizers also found that roadwork occurring downtown would make the parade nearly impossible, so plans were shelved.
Last year, the shortage of police officers also hampered efforts, Shores said.
However, Shores reports that this year is different. There is currently no expected threat from a hurricane this year, and plenty of sheriff’s deputies have volunteered to provide security for free.
There will be one noticeable change from years past. The U.S. Army disbanded the Signal Corps Band at Fort Gordon, soon to be renamed Fort Eisenhower, and so organizers moved the motorcycles to the very front.
“Instead of the Signal Corp band leading the parade, it will start with the roar of motorcycles, the general thought that was nice,” Shores said.
The loss of the Signal Corp Band does not mean there will not be patriotic music played at the event. The Butler, Cross Creek and Westside High School bands have signed up to march in the procession.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Day evolved out of Armistice Day, a holiday created by Congress in 1926 to honor veterans of World War I, known then as the Great War. In 1954, President Eisenhower signed the Congressional act expanding the holiday to honor living veterans of all American wars.
Veterans Day is different from Memorial Day in that it celebrates those who survived wartime service for the country.
“Veterans Day is a day to visit with the veterans who came home from the horrors of war to build and serve their communities. It is a day to be patriotic and celebrate their courage and bravery,” Shores said.
For more information and to sign up to be included in the parade (there is no cost), visit the Facebook page, Csra Augusta Veteransdayparade.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
