When we geared up to go cover Hartselle’s first Veterans Day Celebration and Parade on Nov. 14 in over four decades, we were pleasantly surprised by what we found.

Many years before, probably in the early 1960s, a group of World War II and Korean War veterans got together and, without much preparation, decided to invite all veterans to participate in a downtown street parade on Armistice Day. A color guard was borrowed from the 343rd Engineers (Alabama Army National Guard) and a trucking company loaned a tandem trailer as transportation for veterans who were willing to participate. It was a cold day and that didn’t help but nevertheless about 50 men wrapped in heavy coats showed up ready to take a ride on the trailer.

A few merchants stood in their doorways as the color guard and veterans passed by, and they were joined by perhaps 50 to 75 family members. Frankly, it was not a very pretty sight and any thoughts of keeping the celebration alive soon vanished.

Back to last Friday, it was great to see that as we neared Railroad Street we realized that a big crowd was gathering. Hartselle High’s marching band was playing patriotic music, Danville and Falkville High bands were marching to the staging area and veterans could be easily seen standing in the crowds on both sides of the street.

What took place during the next hour was amazing and heartfelt.

Parade co-chairman Robert Dotson set the stage for a rousing round of applause when he announced that the Veterans Day event was planned and arranged with all veterans in mind but especially for Korean and Vietnam veterans. “This is the homecoming they never got,” he said, “Please give them a big hand and let them know how proud you are of them and the sacrifices they made.”

The music, speeches and parade combined to lift the spirit of the crowd and leave them with a feeling of participating in something that was very meaningful.

Many thanks to the Veterans Day Planning Committee for a job well done. Hopefully, this an event that will become a Veterans Day tradition.