Carolyn Doty, one of the first members of Arnold’s Veterans Commission, will be honored during the city’s upcoming Veterans Day Parade.
Doty, 82, of Arnold will be the grand marshal for the parade, which will start at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 5, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 2211 Tenbrook Road, and proceed to the Fox C-6 School District campus.
Arnold Veterans Commission chairman Larry Otis, a 21-year Navy veteran, said Doty deserves the honor.
“She has done a lot for the Veterans Commission,” he said.
Doty said she never served in the military but respects those who did, like her father, Lee Stantz, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
“I was 6 years old when my father was called into the Army,” she said. “He was gone for two years, and for a little girl, it was frightening until my mother explained to me he was fighting for our country. I knew then that he was a special guy. During that time there were a lot of funerals going on, and my mom would take me to them. I started collecting spent shells from the (21-gun salutes at the) funerals. I had enough to fill a cigar box, and I kept them for years.”
Doty said she married twice, and both her late husbands served in the Army. Her first marriage was to Frederick Lee Shryock, and her second was to Jack W. Doty.
She said she joined the Arnold Veterans Commission to pay tribute to her husbands and her father.
“In 2013, I joined the Arnold Veterans Commission because I wanted to keep their legacies and all of the other veterans’ legacies alive and support all the veterans in need,” Doty said.
She stepped down from the commission this year, saying it was time for younger members to join the commission and offer new ideas.
Doty said she is proud of what the commission accomplished during her seven years with the group.
“We collected money for flags to be placed around Arnold on special occasions,” Doty said. “Arnold is a Purple Heart City and a POW/MIA City. I think that is an honor for all our veterans.
“I want to thank the mayor, Police Department, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, who put up the flags, the council, city staff, Fox C-6 and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church for their involvement over the years. Most of all, I want to thank the veterans and their families. To me, they are all heroes. That is my motto, all veterans are heroes to me.”
The parade
Once the Arnold Veterans Parade makes its way to the Fox campus, it will circle it and then end near the flagpole outside the Bridges alternative school, where a wreath ceremony will be held, and then veterans will be invited to the Fox C-6 Service Center for a luncheon and program to honor their service. The Fox High Student Council organizes the luncheon and program, and the members will serve lunch to the veterans.
“I would say our Veterans Day Parade, luncheon and assembly is easily one of the most anticipated and enjoyed activities our school is involved with on a yearly basis,” Fox High Principal Ryan Sherp said. “It is loved by students and staff alike.”
Anyone interested in taking part in the parade, which in the past has included military vehicles, groups of veterans and the Fox High band, needs to contact Karen Fay by Nov. 1 at 636-282-2380, ext. 1423 or at kfay@arnoldmo.org.
Participants will be asked to gather at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at 10 a.m. Parking for those not driving vehicles in the parade is at Grace Free Will Baptist Church, 2258 Tenbrook Road.
“It is really exciting,” Arnold Parks and Recreation supervisor Teresa Kohut said of the parade. “The school children are always excited to be out there, and even on days when it is cold, they have been enthusiastic. I think it is heartwarming for the veterans to see the young ones showing their appreciation.”
Otis said seeing students line the campus is one of the best parts of the parade.
“A lot of the veterans will go up and talk with the students during the parade,” he said. “It does a veteran good to see that the students appreciate what we did.”
Fay said past parades have attracted up to 45 entries. The city and district did not hold the event last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is great to be up and running with this event,” Fay said. “It is very exciting.”