Tuesday, June 8, 2004
Page 7
AFFAIRS OF STATE (Column)
Community Should Do More to Honor Military Veterans
By DAVID KLINE
I love a parade, the tramping of feet,
I love every beat I hear of a drum.
I love a parade, when I hear a band
I just want to stand and cheer as they come.
That rat-a tat-tat, the blare of a horn.
That rat-a tat-tat, a bright uniform,
The sight of a drill will give me a thrill,
I thrill at the skill of everything military.
I love a parade, a handful of vets,
A line of cadets or any brigade,
For I love a parade.
—Lyrics to “I Love a Parade,”
by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler
I, too, love a parade. And so it was that on Memorial Day, the Klines found ourselves sitting on the curb at 10th Street, waiting for the Sousa marches to begin.
The crisp crack of the snare drum, the call of the trumpet, the shining baton of the drum major—what better way to celebrate and honor the contributions of those who gave their lives to improve ours? Bring on the marching bands and that patriotic music that makes us feel strong and proud even as we tear up thinking of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
As we waited for the parade to begin, we discussed our fathers and grandfathers who fought to keep us free—or at least tried to. One, an accomplished pilot, was discharged from the Navy after being injured during training. Another tried repeatedly to help fight in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot, but was rejected because of a medical condition.
The parade started slowly with a procession of sports cars and military vehicles.
We joked with a World War II vet who noticed a fellow soldier riding as a dignitary in a fancy sports car. “They sure didn’t give me one of those when I left the service,” he said.
We felt proud to share the same stretch of curb with a woman who acknowledged every passing veteran with a simple but sincere, “Thank you.”
But where were the marching bands? Maybe they were adjusting their spats. Surely they would be here soon.
Finally, a crash cymbal was heard in the distance! The snare drums pounded out their cadence to keep the marchers in step. The parade was about to begin in earnest.
After a brief stop at the reviewing stand, the Luther Burbank High School Marching Band made its way past us. The musicians looked exhausted, carrying heavy instruments and marching in all-black outfits in the blazing sun. But there they were, performing on a school holiday in honor of their country’s veterans. We appreciated their all-too-brief presence, and eagerly anticipated the next band’s appearance.
Next band? It wasn’t to be. The Burbank band was the only one marching in the parade. No sign of entries from McClatchy, Kennedy, Johnson or Sacramento High School.
The explanations are many, but they all boil down to money. When school is out of session, the schools’ liability insurance coverage isn’t in effect, and the parade organizers don’t have enough money to buy special insurance.
Some bands don’t march in parades that are not competitions with certified judges, and the organizers don’t have extra money for judges.
Some bands don’t have enough money to travel much and thus limit their public appearances. (Some schools don’t even have enough cash for traditional band uniforms—Burbank, for example, marched in matching T-shirts and baseball caps.)
Mary Lou McNeill, executive director of Vietnam Veterans of America and one of the parade organizers, says she isn’t upset with the bands or the schools, but is disappointed that the community isn’t providing more support.
“I get a little bit aggravated,” McNeill says, “at businesses that use Memorial Day to make money without paying a little bit of tribute to the veterans, which is what we’re trying to do.”
She’s right. It’s inexcusable for this community to treat Memorial Day as nothing more than an opportunity for a three-day weekend for bargains and barbecues. It is unsatisfactory for the state’s capital to give short shrift to a parade honoring those who gave their lives for our freedom.
All of us can do something to put the rat-a-tat-tat and bright uniforms back in Memorial Day. Contact local high schools and businesses, and perhaps pony up a few dollars of your own, to increase support for next year’s parade.
The Veterans Affiliated Council, which runs the show, can be reached at P.O. Box 255484, Sacramento CA 95865; by phone at (916) 481-6020; or online at www.norcaltrav.com/VAC.htm.
We will judge the success of our effort by the number of Sousaphones in next year’s parade.
Copyright 2004, Metropolitan News Company