Parade organizers invite all vets to march, show patriotism

By Kelcy Dolan
Posted 5/19/16

“When these men march there is a sense of awe. It’s a reminder of history,” Teresa Mahony, wife of this year’s Grand Marshal for the Memorial Day Parade, Owen Mahony, said. “Especially for …

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Parade organizers invite all vets to march, show patriotism

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“When these men march there is a sense of awe. It’s a reminder of history,” Teresa Mahony, wife of this year’s Grand Marshal for the Memorial Day Parade, Owen Mahony, said. “Especially for young people, who didn’t live through these events, it’s a reminder of those who sacrifices their lives to protect this country.”

The Warwick Veterans Council, which organizes the annual Memorial Day Parade that runs along West Shore Road, hopes even more veterans will join them in marching this year to remember those they have served alongside and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Peter Beckham of the council said it is “discouraging” to see so many vets sitting on the curb along the parade route as spectators and not participants. He said many veterans assume they have to be associated with some veteran group to march in the Memorial Day Parade, but they are more than welcome to walk with “their brothers in arms” in the parade. The group also wants to extend to invitation to younger veterans to see more intergenerational camaraderie.

“The more vets participate, the more respect we are showing our fallen brothers,” Beckham said.

Tony Rodrigues believes that to march in the parade is to be a kind of living memory to those soldiers who sacrificed their lives in time of war, a way to “memorialize” them.

Overall, the Warwick Veterans Council agrees that attendance to the annual parade has been increasing year to year, and believe that comes with a return to military support from “the American public,” but that always hasn’t been the case.

Paul Kelley said after the Vietnam War, overall there was a “negative attitude” towards servicemen, but over the past decade there has been a shift to more pride in the country’s military.

Grand Marshal Mahoney served in the Navy during World War II. He drove a Landing Ship Tank (LST) on D-Day onto the Normandy beaches two weeks after his 18th birthday. Mahony, soon to be 90, said many of the men he served with have since passed, and Memorial Day holds a particular significance for him. He said returning soldiers were celebrated and it wasn’t until the Vietnam War that there was “political animosity” towards the U.S. entering into war.

“Before that even the tiniest towns held celebrations and parades. Memorial Day was a big event,” he said. “We should all be thankful to live in the U.S., and our patriotism is something we should put on display…especially when recognizing those who have sacrificed their lives.”

“Over the last 25 years, patriotism has come back,” James Burrows of the parade committee said, “People are proud to be Americans, and the military now has the support of the American people. It’s a very positive thing.”

He said you can see proof of this in the attendance to the Memorial Day parade, but the Warwick Veterans Council would just like to see more people marching over watching.

The Memorial Day Parade already has a nice line-up including the three high school bands from Toll Gate, Pilgrim and Vets will be marching, a float for The Unknown Soldier, Boy and Girl Scouts troops from across the city, representatives from the National Guard, DAV, Special Olympics Blue Star Mothers, local submariners, Lions Club and American Legion members, and gymnastics and dance groups and the Don Rodriguez Karate Academy.

The Warwick Veterans Council is always looking for more groups and individuals, especially veterans, to participate to make the parade even bigger and better. Those looking to participate in the parade should contact Rodrigues through his home phone, 737-1909, or his cell phone, 919-8951, or Baggensen at 601-7544. No group will be turned away, but Rodrigues and the rest of the Warwick Veterans Council would like to hear from participants at least a week before the parade.

The Warwick Memorial Day Parade will take place on Monday, May 30; the parade will begin at 9:15 in the rear parking lot of Hendricken High School. The parade will then make its way towards West Shore Road, ending in front of Warwick Veterans Memorial High School.

Once the parade is finished there will be a speaking program, with Mayor Scott Avedisian, members from the City Council and attending veterans.

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