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Droves of people packed Market Street from Kingston to Wilkes-Barre to show their support and appreciation for veterans of the United States armed forces as they cheered them on along the parade route 0f the 73rd annual Wyoming Valley Veterans Day Parade on Sunday afternoon.
“My father was a marine and my brother was in the Navy,” said Sterling Hartman, 59, of Wilkes-Barre. “Veterans Day is very important to me. They are the reason why we have freedom.”
Hartman said he made a Facebook post encouraging people to come out and support the troops at the parade.
The parade kicked off at 2 p.m. starting at Kingston Corners and making its way down Market Street, continuing over the Market Street Bridge and ending on Wilkes-Barre’s Public Square.
Veterans from the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard took part in the day’s celebration. Some marched, while others traveled in cars and on floats. Even an Army tank made an appearance in the parade.
A vintage airplane bolted across the sky signaling the start of the afternoon’s celebration.
“Today is extremely important,” said King’s College junior Jake Sarwar. “We honor those who’ve served our country, both living and dead, who fought and continue to fight for our freedom.”
Richard Schlude, who served in the 1st Signal Brigade in the Army during the Vietnam War, said this was his the first time in quite awhile he attended the Veterans Day Parade in the Wyoming Valley.
“It’s a wonderful turnout,” said Schlude, a Hanover Township native. “This is the first time in 40 years that I haven’t been in Washington D.C. for Veteran’s Day.
“It’s nice to see so many young faces in the crowd, but I hope their parents tell them the significance of today. I’m not sure if the kids could give me the correct answer as to why they are off from school on Monday.”
Children in attendance waived American flags that were distributed by parade participants as they marched down Market Street.
Retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Susan Allen was the 2018 chairwoman of the Wyoming Valley Veterans Day Parade.
“It’s a lot of work planning the day, but it’s so well worth it,” said Allen. “With the weather being so nice and sunny, the turnout was fantastic. I haven’t seen such great numbers turnout for the parade in recent years like I did today.”
“When I came to Northeast Pennsylvania, I heard that 1 out of 17 people who served in WWII were from Pennsylvania,” Allen noted.
Retired Army Col. Charles Luce, the 2018 Wyoming Valley Veterans Day Parade grand marshal, agreed with Allen on Pennsylvania’s importance in the armed forces.
“Northeastern Pennsylvania has put together some of the best veterans and the best units that the nation knows,” Luce, 72, said. “This area always shines when it comes to reporting for service.”
Luce said it was a very humbling experience serving as the parade’s grand marshal.
“It was an honor to be named grand marshal,” said Luce. “I’ve been on the parade committee for many years, but being the grand marshal is something I can’t really put into words.”
The support from parade goers really stuck out, according to Luce.
“The community knows that we are the first to fight and will continue to fight for their freedoms,” Luce explained. “But a day like today’s allows us to be fully embraced by the community. This is their opportunity to engage and thank us. The whole day was a lot of fun.”
Allen mentioned that the parade committee will hold a meeting on Wednesday to begin discussing plans for next year’s Veterans Day Parade.
