New England’s 1st “Welcome Home” End of the Iraq War Parade
is on Sunday, July 8, at 2 p.m. The parade is to celebrate the return of
military personnel and the end of the Iraq War by thanking the recently
returned veterans (from Iraq and Afghanistan) and everyone who supported them
during deployment. New Hampshire’s Governor John Lynch is expected to co-grand
marshal the parade with several Gold Star families.
The parade will coincide with a Job & Services Fair that
will be attended by the Veteran’s Administration, the New Hampshire Employment
Security, and private businesses looking to hire veterans. This New England
Parade is co-sponsored by the Parade Committee and the City of Portsmouth.
These two major activities are occurring for one main
objective, organizers say, to pay tribute to all veterans and active military
for protecting the United States, here at home and abroad, and to welcome them
home. The parade participants include military and veteran’s organization
representing New England. A partial list of these organizations participating
in the parade include:
A contingent of Afghanistan and Iraq Veterans; American
Legion Posts; Veterans for Peace; Gold/Blue Star Families; Pease Greeters; NH
Fire Fighters Pipes & Drums; Bektash Shriners Mini- Kars; Leftist Marching
Band; FairPoint Communications; Portsmouth Democrats; Bektash Shriners Drum
& Bugle Corp., Shriners; Patrol C; Seacoast Peace Response; Portsmouth
Brassworks; Bektash Cycle Patrol; and, Vintage Cars.
“The Iraq war has officially ended, and this generation of
veterans deserves to be welcomed home with the same fanfare as generations in
the past. That is why we welcome everyone to participate and make this a
positive New England wide event,” says Josh Denton, steering committee
president and Iraq war veteran. The Leftist Marching Band, a liberal group, was
hesitant about joining the parade, Denton said, but they joined in, as did
several veterans for peace groups. “There are no high school bands available in
July,” Denton said. “So this is really good for us.” The parade will begin at 1
Junkins Avenue, at the tennis court parking lot, and will make a 1.3 mile loop
around the city, ending where it began.
