Parade in downtown Las Vegas honors veterans
World War II veteran Robert Jensen got a bit of the rock star treatment Friday during the Veterans Day Parade in downtown Las Vegas.
The 93-year-old retired Army engineer sat on the corner of Fourth Street and Bridger Avenue to watch the annual parade, but even people in the parade spotlight were giving Jensen their attention.
Other veterans and families would run up and say thank you and shake his hand. “You saved the world!” one man exclaimed as he posed for a picture with Jensen.
Jensen, who received all of the attention graciously, recalled the week the war ended: He was stationed in the Philippines and remembered seeing Gen. Douglas MacArthur ride up a hill in a tank in Guadalcanal.
He also spoke of the Las Vegas of the 1940s, when it was a small town and people didn’t have to lock their doors.
“Everything has changed,” he said.
Jensen was one of thousands of Southern Nevadans to be honored Friday during the annual parade. Men and women who fought for the U.S. in a variety of conflicts from World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom lined Fourth Street to watch the parade, for years called the biggest west of the Mississippi.
Parade marshal, organizer, and Navy veteran Dixon Keller, 62, estimated that 30,000 people participated in Friday’s celebration.
Nevada is home to an estimated 11,400 active duty military members, 7,620 reserve members, and more than 228,000 veterans.
A host of veterans service organizations, including the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, participated in the parade, sponsored by the Veterans Action Group, and were joined by marching bands, honor guards, and high school ROTC groups from across the Las Vegas Valley. Altogether, the parade featured 150 parade entries, Keller said.
The mood was jovial and patriotic. But this week’s presidential election was still on some people’s minds.
About 15 people marching under a Veterans for Peace banner were removed from the parade after marching only three blocks or so.
Don Kimball, 64, of Las Vegas said the group was cut off by parade organizers and forced off the road. When they tried to rejoin the parade, Las Vegas police officers stepped in, he said.
Kimball, an Air Force veteran, said several members were thrown to the ground. Michael Kerr, 67, of California, said he was handcuffed and detained in a police vehicle for about 20 minutes.
Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Corey Moon said there were no arrests or citations, and police only stepped to keep the peace when the situation got tense. He could not confirm the details given by Kimball and Kerr.
Keller said the group never paid an entry fee and was actually a protest group.
The Veterans Day parade has a strict policy against protests, according to Keller. People can demonstrate on the sidewalk, he said, but the parade itself is only for celebrating the men and women who sacrificed for our country.
President Barack Obama, during his final Veterans Day ceremony Friday at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, said the holiday was the perfect time for the nation to come together after a contentious election season.
“When the election is over, as we search for ways to come together, to reconnect with one another and with the principles that are more enduring than transitory politics, some of our best examples are the men and women we salute on Veterans Day,” Obama said.
Las Vegas resident Mike Coffers said it was the first time he attended the Las Vegas Veterans Day Parade. Coffers, 40, is a retired staff sergeant who was deployed by the Army three times as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“It’s bigger than I thought,” he said, impressed with the turnout. “I think it’s a good sign people are ready to move on (from the election).”
Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Follow @WesJuhl on Twitter.
