Marching in the Veterans Day Parade

Ethan Hoagland

On Saturday, Nov. 11, many Sweet Home community members will flock to this year’s Linn County Veterans Day Parade in Albany to celebrate and honor those who served.

City officials will drive several vehicles in the parade, including local veterans and city employees Diane Golden and Blake Dawson. Golden served in the Army reserves from 2002-2010 as a Specialist E-4. Dawson served in the Army from 2015-2022 rank Private E-2.

On Nov. 8, the City of Sweet Home hosted a reception from 4 to 5 p.m. at City Hall, as city officials adorned the building with flags.

According to U.S. census data, more than a 1,000 veterans live in Sweet Home. That’s roughly 10% of the town’s population. Census data show more than a third of Sweet Home’s veterans served during the Vietnam era. Another approximate 20% served between the Gulf War and Vietnam era. This January marked 50 years since the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, the agreement to end direct combat involvement of U.S. forces in Vietnam.

It’s been years since the Sweet Home Veterans of Foreign Wars’ honor guard marched in the Albany parade. Guard color sergeant and rifleman Stan Gray said most members of the guard are too old to march.

“They can’t even walk that far,” he said.

The last time Sweet Home’s honor guard marched in the parade was in 2017. Gray served 28 years in the Oregon National Guard, between 1980 and 2015. Even though they might not be strolling through downtown Albany to the adoration of the community, the Sweet Home VFW’s honor guard is far from inactive. The Sunday after Veterans Day, they’ll hold a flag retirement ceremony.

On Nov. 10, the Veteran of the Year will be announced during a dinner at the Linn County Fairgrounds and Events Center. The event starts at 6 p.m. with a social hour. Dinner begins at 7 p.m.

At the statewide level, the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs will hold their ceremony at the Oregon State Capitol Park. The governor’s wildfire and military advisor, Doug Grafe, is scheduled to be the keynote speaker. He’ll be joined by fellow speakers Congresswoman Andrea Salinas, Oregon Military Department Legislative Government Affairs Director Colonel Russell Gibson, and State Senator James Manning, who chairs the Senate Veterans, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs Committee. The statewide ceremony starts at 11a.m.

Total
0
Share