The Veterans Day Parade was a community success with nearly 12,000 youth and seniors attending at Monroe Street to pay homage to veterans.
Veterans Day allows people, affected by war, to pay their respects to those who risked their lives for Americans to enjoy the liberties of democracy. The Tallahassee community showed their respect for military veterans at the parade.
Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps students from all high schools in the Tallahassee area marched in support of the occasion.
Also, Florida A&M University and Florida State University bands provided musical entertainment for onlookers who came out to support.
Undoubtedly, Veterans Day holds special meaning to veterans who have risked their lives for their country.
Elijah Lucas, a FAMU graduate and Vietnam Army veteran, spoke on the historical aspect of the parade in Tallahassee.
"This is the first time I have been to an Armed Forces day parade since 1988 when I retired from the Army," Lucas said. "When I got back from the Army they were not having Veteran's Day parades."
Fortunately, youth are knowledgeable about the significance of Veteran's Day. Evan Shelton, a senior Rickard's High School student and JROTC, spoke about the importance of the holiday.
"Veterans Day is a day to honor all the veterans who have served and it's a day to revere the people who have died and who are still alive," Shelton said. "We are all here celebrating today because of them. Classes have been cancelled nationwide to honor veterans and that shows the importance of their sacrifice."
Alexis Hunter, a junior FAMU occupational therapy student, enjoyed being at the parade because of the festivities and the floats that were present.
"The parade was great this year. It seems like there are a lot more people here compared to last year's parade," Hunter said. "I enjoyed the floats this year, the creativity was refreshing. In particular, I really liked the floats that honored vets with military equipment."
The Veterans Day Parade acknowledges and pays homage to soldiers whose selfless acts created the liberties American’s enjoy today.