DETROIT – Veterans of all five branches of the military were represented during the annual Veterans Day parade in Corktown on Sunday, Nov. 9, which also featured a four-mile run.
They braved the cold, slushy, snowy weather to honor the service and sacrifices of the soldiers, sailors, and airmen who came before them.
Serving in the military, they say, creates a bond that is not like any other.
“I went in in 1982, and I just attended a friend’s 70th birthday celebration,” Earnett Nolden, a retired 20-year Air Force Veteran, said. “I have friends that are more like family to me.” Nolden was there as part of a contingent of veterans who are members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.
“We sacrificed a lot,” she added. “I have some friends that never made it home.”
The event, which was preceded by a ceremony at the IBEW Local Union 58 headquarters, highlighted the efforts the city, as well as other organizations, have made to help vets get reintegrated back into society.
“The city’s worked hard,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said. “The county has worked hard; The veterans groups have worked hard.
“Council members Scott Benson and Mary Watters funded a new office of Veterans Affairs that’s enhanced the services within the city of Detroit,” he added.
One of those organizations is Helmets to Hard Hats, which helps transition vets into successful civilian careers in the skilled trades.
“We’re here to help them realize that what they’ve done, they’ve served their country,” Sam Dougherty, the group’s Michigan director and a retired Marine reservist, said. He says they have helped nearly 50,000 vets successfully transfer into civilian careers since 2003.
“They’ve got the opportunity to build their country,” he said.
This year’s parade had to be scaled back due to the ongoing government shutdown.
A planned flyover from Selfridge Air Force Base, along with performances from the U.S. Army band, was pulled because of it.
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, whose late husband Congressman John Dingell served in World War II, was at the event and says that vets have been acutely affected by the shutdown.
“We are trying to make sure that we’re continuing to serve our veterans,” Dingell said. “Every single day, the hospitals are open, and I don’t want people to defer going to get medical care.”
“We have 1.4 million veterans that rely on SNAP that are going to be hungry,” she added. “Today’s the day to honor them.”
Art Fishman was the lone World War II vet in attendance, having served in the Navy nearly 80 years ago. At age 98, he noted that nearly all of his friends have passed away, and he will not miss events like this.
He is encouraging other vets to join him and feel the love and respect while they’re still able.
“The important thing is to take each one of these veterans that have been in service and say, welcome,” Fishman said. “These aren’t just friends, this is a new family.”