Veterans Day Parade in South Portland.
The South Portland Veterans Day Parade began at Southern Maine Community College, moved to Broadway and ended with a service at the Veterans Monument in Mill Creek Park. The event was hosted by the South Portland War Veterans Memorial Association, made up of local veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.
The local VFW does not currently exist, as they relinquished their charter and moved to Gorham. This year, the event was primarily hosted by American Legion Post 35 in South Portland. since 1919, when the American Legion began.
A few years ago, the South Portland War Veterans Memorial Association was formed. It provides for the Memorial Day Parade and the Veterans Day Parade. This year, the parade included the high school marching band, members of the Coast Guard, American Legion cadets, and color guards from the Coast Guard, American Legion, police, and firefighters.
There were also local figures such as the mayor, councilmen, commander of the Coast Guard base, commander of local American Legion posts, and the grand marshal who is an older veteran. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, high school robotics teams, a Veterans Home van and others also joined the parade.
Council member Linda Cohen and a Coast Guard representative spoke during the service at Mill Creek Park. A wreath was laid and prayers were given. The service ended with a performance of Taps by the high school band.
“As a warrant officer for the American Legion Post, I pretty much run (the event),” Pock said. “I’m the guy who programmed everything at the station…and since it’s been done over the years, we pretty much have it all figured out now. We know who is going to be in which group, who is going to show up, who is not going to show up. It works quite well. We still have a good group. »
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