Crowd braves chill and wind for annual Veterans Day Parade

A temperature in the low 50s and a chilly wind couldn’t stop the crowds from lining the streets of downtown Columbus and Phenix City on Saturday for the ninth annual Tri-City Veterans Day Parade.

“It has just grown and grown,” said retired Army veteran Jerry “Pops” Barnes, who also serves on Columbus Council. “It’s going to get bigger because of the people. Veterans are the ones that keep our way of life.”

Barnes has spearheaded the event since its first year in 2009. He said patriotism was instilled in him at a young age by his grandmother, who directed Barnes and his brothers into the military at age 17.

“She always told us that you are going to the Army, Marine Corps or Navy,” he said. “She said we will never have a way of life. This is a woman who never went beyond third grade.”

Barnes could only smile when asked about the diverse crowd of veterans, young and old people with children at the event. “I want the average veteran with a family who went to the service to wave and have the good people say ‘thank you,’ ” he said. “ If I have a thousand tongues, I couldn’t tell everyone thank you for coming out for our veterans.”

With a picture of her father, retired Master Sgt. Vincent Melillo, pinned on her jacket, Jonnie Melillo Clasen said veterans should never be forgotten, because they are the reason for the freedom to enjoy a parade. “We need to keep that in mind, because they are still defending us,” she said. “We are being threatened in horrible ways right now.”

Her father was the last original member of Merrill’s Marauders from Georgia when he died at age 97 on Christmas Eve in 2015. In 1943, Melillo answered the call for 3,000 volunteers to make up a top secret commando unit during World War II. “They were the first to fight in Asia since the Boxer Rebellion,” she said. “They were not expected to survive their mission. This legacy is continued today by the 75th Ranger Regiment whose crest is the Merrill Marauders patch.”

Members of the group are dying at an alarming rate, she said. A year ago, there were 28 original members still alive. “This Veterans Day, there are only 18,” she said.

Gary Jones, who served as a non-commissioned officer and commissioned officer before retiring as an Army colonel, is pleased the people serving the nation in the military are recognized for their sacrifice while a portion of the nation may not support the activities or conflict in the world.

“I just see members of the military at restaurants and people are buying meals for them and shaking their hands,” he said. “Thank you for your service. That means so much to me. The nation has now decided to thank them.”

Alfred Weaver, a retired master sergeant from the Army Reserves and member of the Columbus-Fort Benning Shrine Club, wore his medals and ribbons during the parade. While many people come and thank him, Weaver said some are forgotten.

“Please remember the ones that didn’t make it home,” he said. “There are those that made it back. I’ve got the invisible wounds.”

A program for veterans continued at the Phenix City Amphitheater, Barnes said. Too many veterans are still dying from suicides. He wants to bring awareness to the community about those with traumatic brain injuries or suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Barnes also expressed concerns for homeless veterans. He said service officers will be available to help veterans and direct them to services. “We are going to try to have this every six months to bring awareness for the community and vets,” he said of the outreach effort.

This story was originally published November 11, 2017 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Crowd braves chill and wind for annual Veterans Day Parade."