Auburn honors veterans with its massive parade

On a sunny, crisp fall Saturday morning, Auburn honored soldiers, servicemen and women with its 47th Veterans Day Parade and Observance.

The two-hour parade –  one of the largest of its type west of the Mississippi – stretched a mile long as spectators lined both sides of Main Street. The crowd was estimated at more than 5,000.

The parade paid special tribute to the American Veterans (AMVETS). John J. Hauff, Sr. served as the grand marshal.

A military C-17 fly-over from the U.S. Air Force at McChord Field began the parade.

Nearly 200 entries graced the parade, including more than 30 marching bands, local Junior ROTC units, honor guards, military units and antique military vehicles.

The parade also included Veterans for Peace, a veterans group that won a last-minute federal court ruling to participate. The U.S. District Court in Seattle on Friday ruled in favor of the veterans group's rights to march in the parade,

Represented by the ACLU-WA, Veterans for Peace (VFP) had filed a lawsuit saying that Auburn officials were violating the group's free speech rights by unfairly denying its application to march in the civic celebration. The district court issued a temporary restraining order against the City of Auburn so that VFP could march in the parade.

The group was met with loud cheers and applause.

Spectators also enjoyed the procession of veteran units, drill teams, community and scouting groups, intermixed with floats, antique and classic cars and other entries of interest.

=====

Slideshow photos by Rachel Ciampi

 

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.