Kimmswick will hold its first Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Parade near the end of the month.
Organizers are inviting all veterans, not just Vietnam veterans, to march in the parade, which will start at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 29. The last U.S. military unit left Vietnam on March 29, 1973, and the day is designated Vietnam Veterans Days.
There is no entry fee to participate in the parade or to attend the event.
Mayor Phil Stang said the city joined forces with the Meramec-Arnold Elks to hold the parade. “I have been a member of the Elks for about a year now,” he said. “The Elks have a saying that goes, ‘As long as there are veterans, the Elks will be there to support them.’
“A couple of people at the Elks said they had been trying to set up something, and they haven’t been able to either get interest or have someone to organize it. One of my heroes is Yoda (from the “Star Wars” movies), who says, ‘Do or do not. There is no try.’”
Stang said the focus of the parade is on Vietnam War veterans, but all veterans will be honored during the event.
“It is for all veterans, but the focus is around Vietnam Veterans Day. I am a Vietnam-era veteran. I did not go over there. I know a lot of people who were there, and I lost a bunch of friends there.”
Parade participants are asked to assemble in the Windsor Elementary School parking lot, 6003 Fifth St., Stang said.
He said the parade procession will proceed on Market Street to the Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery, 6116 Second St., and then turn onto Second Street before marching on to Mill Street and Front Street, ending near the Christmas Haus store, 311 Elm St.
Stang said the Kimmswick Merchants Association will provide a trolley for veterans to ride in during the parade. The parade also will include the city’s antique tractor; floats from the Kimmswick Historical Society and Elks Lodge; a Rock Community Fire Protection District truck; members of three Elks Lodges’ motorcycle auxiliaries; restored military vehicles; and an honor guard that supports disabled veterans.
“It keeps growing,” Stang said of the those planning to participate in the parade.
He said a ceremony to dedicate a lot at the corner of Market and Second streets as a Veterans Park will be held after the parade concludes.
“Because of (a future) road project, we will likely put up a temporary sign on the fence,” Stang said. “We wouldn’t want to put a permanent sign there that would have to be removed for the (Great Streets Initiative) road project.”
Stang said he believes it is important to honor military veterans, especially those who served in Vietnam and did not receive a warm reception when they returned home.
“They were not appreciated,” Stang said of Vietnam veterans. “They went to do a job, and their job was to protect the people of the United States. It was policy makers who decided what that meant. Whether it was right or wrong, that is a different issue. They went to serve their country. They (military members) do the same thing today.”
Stang said organizers intend to hold the parade annually. For more information about the parade, call Stang at 314-422-2631.