Veterans Parade strikes chord for all

It was a rain-free spectacle of red, white and blue — and respect — on Saturday as Vancouver’s 24th annual Veterans Parade wound through the Fort Vancouver National Site.

Cheers, salutes and a steady refrain of “Thank you” resonated as proud soldiers, eager young scouts and booming bands marched the golden-leafed maple lane of Officers Row and looped around to the Pearson Air Museum.

First came a roaring flyover by two Oregon Air National Guard F-15 jets and the sharp concussion of 21 howitzer blasts, promptly at 11 a.m.

“Did you see that smoke ring? That was cool!” said Makayla Tully, 11, who covered her ears well ahead of the barrage that produced big whorls of bluish smoke. “I could feel my shirt moving underneath.”

With her father, Mike Tully, 41, of Vancouver, Makayla said she’s watched three of the November parades, as her brother Joe, 9, again joined dozens of Cub Scouts who scampered to hand out small American flags to all.

Tully, a U.S. Air Force veteran of Operation Desert Storm, was among several hundred vets of all ages and armed service branches who lined the route and openly shared a special bond.

Their feelings, too, arose from deep within.

For Makayla, the big attraction came on four feet: “I’m fond of horses,” she explained.

And here they were, a trio of steeds that carried representatives of the black U.S. Army Buffalo Soldiers singled out this year by parade officials.

Local descendants of Sgt. Alfred Franklin, whose 27-year career ended at Fort Vancouver a century ago, were welcomed by dignitaries gathered at the parade reviewing stand outside the Marshall House.

More equine entertainment came in the form of a horse-drawn coach carrying former mayor and past head of the Army’s Vancouver Barracks, Royce Pollard, this year’s grand marshal, and the Clark County Fair court.

For the flag-waving children of Courtney True, whose husband, Michael, is employed by the Fort Vancouver National Trust, music was the thing.

Her family enjoyed watching bagpipers practice when it recently stayed at the historic reserve, she said, snuggled with Timothy, 5, Matthew, 4, and Kalli, 3, on a Radio Flyer wagon.

“That’s their favorite part,” True said. “And, a parade makes every kiddo happy.”

Of course, a veterans parade packs a serious punch, for all who are serving or have served. That’s not lost on Evan Martilla, 37, from Battle Ground, who marshaled his own troop of five children, age 3 to 12, and three of their friends.

“The kids like parades, and I like to show support for the military, what I can do,” Martilla said.

That’s the beauty of Veterans Day, a blend of solemnity and unabashed joy.

Major Gen. Timothy Lowenberg of the Washington Air National Guard, reviewing officer for the parade, paraphrased the words of former Illinois Gov. and U.S. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson during his brief remarks.

“Patriotism is not the fear of something; it’s the love of something,” Lowenberg said.

An upbeat mood emerged Saturday, when turnout far topped that of last year’s rain-drenched affair. More than 100 entries, from spangled floats to rumbling Jeeps to snazzy bands, model submarines and real U.S. Coast Guard watercraft, kept spectators smiling and waving.

Art Schaeffer, 88, rose from his walker along Fort Vancouver Way to acknowledge each flag corps. In turn, the U.S. Navy veteran of World War II received many salutes.

“I never miss a program, or a parade,” said Schaeffer, a retired press operator for The Columbian. The chief petty officer saw plenty of combat at Guadalcanal and in the South Pacific Ocean, but is driven more to honor those who never made it home, including his older brother, Bill, lost when his navy ship was downed in the Atlantic.

Schaeffer said he enlisted on Nov. 15, 1940, not willing to take chances with the military draft.

In the Navy, “I get three meals and a clean bed, and if I get sunk in the middle of the ocean, what the heck,” he said he reasoned.

His enlistment anniversary comes next week. “I think how long it’s been: 70 years,” Schaeffer marveled aloud.

Earlier, Pollard recalled when a few “scraggly veterans” came to his Barracks home a quarter-century ago to urge him to organize a worthy remembrance.

The first try in 1987 wasn’t much, he told fellow dignitaries: A few police cars, a fire engine or two. There wasn’t even a live band for the Nov. 11 ceremony.

“This parade is magnificent, what it’s come to be,” Pollard said, giving the community all credit for its support. “We have come a long way.”

Howard Buck: 360-735-4515 or howard.buck@columbian.com.