A Salute

Today I marched with the fire department in the Veterans' Day Parade. I had forgotten how much feeling and freedom the parade invoked. Today I remembered Veterans' Day parades with my Grandfather. Jackie, Kerry, & sometimes Alicia would sleep over on Friday night. We'd wake up anxiously on Saturday morning. I didn't have to go to swim lessons. My parents allowed me to skip to go to the parade.

We'd walk down the hill through the park and to downtown. We'd watch the parade pass through and then peruse the shops or stop at the Y to say hi to my mother. The street vendors would be clearing and we'd grab a balloon for Kerry. Kerry only joined us if my grandmother drove down too. For this parade, Grandfather always met us there.

He'd race us from the house to the park. Sometimes he'd bring bread so that Jackie could feed the fish in the pond. We'd meet him by the library. Always we'd view the parade from the Christmas tree between the library and post office. The men, women, and children would march by in steps of honor. A sparkled in Grandfather's eyes as we sat on the curb cheering the parade by.

Nine years ago, Grandfather passed away and I marched (rode) with Watch Hill Fire for the first time. Ten years ago, I sat with him at his last Veterans' Day parade. My mother's Pontiac was brand new and he joked about it being a sports car. I always recall his station wagons. She shut the car off as we sat and waited for the parade. The radio stayed on and the jazz played. It was a bit chilly out, cloudy; it was supposed to rain later in the day. Grandfather had been sick for quite some time and despite the weather, he insisted on going.

As the parade came down the hill and their music played in the background, the jazz in the Grand Prix stopped. We were confused by it. Before, the music only stopped when a door opened. The doors were closed; we were still inside. The owner's manual read that after 10 minutes of sitting idle, the car would shut down. Mother restarted the car and we laughed at the simplicity of it all.

Ten minutes later, the music ceased again. The parade marched toward us and Grandfather asked my mother not to restart the car. He saluted the veterans as they passed and praised the bands. I saw the sparkle return to his eyes. A sparkle I hadn't seen shine so bright in years. A sparkle I felt shine down on me this year during the parade. And a sparkle I hope to pass on.

At today's parade, I realized the dedication, honor, and respect Grandfather had to the cause. I thought about how shameful it was for us to only have 6 participants, and more shameful for the streets to be sparingly lined with folks. Nine years ago, the sidewalks were lined 7 people deep. Everyone had an American flag. Everyone raised their hand in salute. Today, it was very few. Today, I felt the pride of my grandfather.