San Diego honors its veterans

Dozens of Legionnaires from District 22 in California represented The American Legion during San Diego’s Veterans Day Parade.

The cheers, flag-waving and community support filled the veterans with pride.

“Seeing the support is always tremendous because you feel really good about the sacrifices of service that we have all made in order to secure the liberties of our country,” District 22 Commander Tony Stewart said. “When you see everyone coming together and celebrating the day of service, you can’t not walk away without having a good feeling.”

Veterans Day is a time when Stewart and others reconnect.

“For a lot of past servicemembers, this is the time of the year that I see rekindling and catching up,” said Stewart, who served in the Navy for 20 years. “And now with the social media and everything else that is out there. Now you can push a button and find somebody, unlike 20 years ago. And we do that. The last three days many of us have been catching up and remembering our service and times we shared together. And that culminates today.”

Included in the 28th annual parade were veterans from World War II, including a half dozen Pearl Harbor survivors, the Vietnam War, the Korean War as well as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In fact, the parade was dubbed a “Tribute to Veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq Wars.”

The crowd of more than 1,000 people showed their appreciation for the newest generation of veterans. When a group of about 10 post-9/11 veterans with amputations strode past the grandstand, the cheers grew the loudest and shouts of “Thank you” drowned out the public address announcer.

That outpouring of appreciation for veterans is why Rudy Walker brought his young grandchildren to the parade.

“I want them to have this experience,” said Walker, who served in the Air Force during Vietnam. “I want them to have a better idea and understanding of those who serve and what it requires to be a serviceman or servicewoman. It’s a growth experience for them.”