National Memorial Day Parade Returns to Washington

3 months ago 53

The National Memorial Day Parade returned to Constitution Avenue successful Washington connected May 29.

The programme was headlined by 3 legends of the U.S. Apollo Program, astronauts Rusty Schweikert of Apollo 9, Charles Duke of Apollo 16, and Harrison Schmitt of Apollo 17. The trio was joined by Randy Bresnik, who volition orbit the Moon adjacent twelvemonth arsenic portion of the Artemis II Mission.

Veterans, immoderate showing the scars of their clip successful combat, were honored with reserved seating astatine the caput of the event.

The lawsuit honored U.S. veterans from passim American history, ranging from the Sons of the American Revolution to veterans of Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield successful Iraq. Veterans of the Republic of China, different known arsenic Taiwan, and veterans of the erstwhile South Vietnamese Republic, who fought against communism during the Vietnam War, were besides honored.

High schoolhouse marching bands from crossed the United States besides came to grant veterans.

Schmitt, who served arsenic a U.S. legislator from New Mexico pursuing his moonwalk, told The Epoch Times that the lawsuit was “very peculiar for me,” peculiarly due to the fact that his begetter fought successful the trenches of World War I and his father-in-law was a seasoned of World War II.

“It’s truly peculiar to beryllium here, partially to grant them,” helium said.

“I’m gladsome the Memorial Day contented has started again, that’s conscionable truly special,” Schmitt said, a notation to the information that successful 2020 and 2021, the parade wasn’t held owed to the COVID-19 pandemic, restarting past twelvemonth aft the hiatus. “Whoever is liable for that is to beryllium congratulated and thanked.”

Charles Duke said the lawsuit was besides adjacent to his heart, citing his father’s acquisition successful the subject that, successful turn, motivated him to articulation the Air Force, wherever helium spent 29 years successful progressive work and reserves.

“A batch of radical gave their lives wherever had the courageousness to measurement up, and to judge the risk,” Duke told NTD, a sister media outlet to The Epoch Times. “And truthful it’s astonishing erstwhile you look backmost astatine what our state did.

“I deliberation we request men and women with courageousness to measurement guardant and judge the hazard and determination our state successful a absorption that would beryllium a godly direction. Everybody conscionable stepping up and saying, ‘OK, I’m going to assistance retired with immoderate I tin bash to marque this a large country.'”

Craig Morgan, a work subordinate who led the singing of the nationalist anthem astatine the opening of the event, cited ongoing recruiting problems successful his comments to NTD, encouraging the younger generation, “Don’t beryllium frightened of getting hurt.”

“Right now, our recruiting is astatine the lowest it’s ever been successful the past of our military,” Morgan said.

He warned that if these trends continue, America volition beryllium “weakened” arsenic a country.

“The weaker we become, the stronger the force becomes,” Morgan said.

“In bid for america to support the freedoms that we celebrate,” these trends can’t continue.

“I tin archer you, I’ve been successful implicit 60—or astir 90—different countries now. And nary of them person the freedoms that we do, not similar we do. And truthful it’s important that we support doing that.”

Duncan Graham, a seasoned who served arsenic a Navy sonar technician and attended the lawsuit arsenic a VIP, said: “Memorial Day is the clip to grant those that person gone earlier us. Those 1 percent of the colonisation who person served, beryllium continued to service those that person passed successful service. The eventual sacrifice is what this Memorial Day is each about.

“It symbolizes the United States. It is our mode of honoring those that went earlier us.”

The Epoch Times Keynote

Speakers from The Epoch Times, which helped sponsor the parade, besides gave an code during the event.

Patrick Davis, lawman bureau main of The Epoch Times’ Washington office, said that successful summation to honoring veterans specified arsenic his father, who’s buried successful Arlington National Cemetery, the parade was besides astir the ideals upon which the United States was founded.

“We emotion this large nation—the onshore of the escaped and the location of the brave,” Davis said. “We emotion the ideals upon which it was founded: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and justness for all.

“We emotion the opportunities that America has provided generations of immigrants seeking a amended life, specified arsenic the founders of The Epoch Times and NTD News. Having escaped the oppressive grip of communism, they recognized the transformative powerfulness of the state of code and the captious value of preserving the principles that marque America exceptional.”

Chris Bob, subordinate manager of marque promotion for The Epoch Times, who descends from a enactment of veterans stretching backmost to World War I, took the accidental to stress the value of journalism successful protecting those ideals.

“Journalism, successful its purest form, plays a captious relation successful safeguarding the precise essence of our democracy,” Bob said, highlighting its captious value arsenic a mode “to clasp those successful powerfulness accountable, to radiance a airy connected injustices, and to amplify the voices of the marginalized. Journalism has the powerfulness to present anticipation and optimism during times erstwhile it’s needed most.

“We emotion what we bash and enactment tirelessly astir the timepiece to service the American people. But arsenic our heroes successful azygous show clip and clip again, emotion unsocial is not enough. Love indispensable beryllium met with action, dedication, and sacrifice. It is simply a unit that compels america to emergence up and support what we clasp dear.”