Amador County – Amador County Supervisors last week were requested to mark their calendars for the third annual Veterans Day Parade Nov. 11 in downtown Jackson.
Organizer Charlene Buckley said “this is not a Jackson event. This is for all the veterans of Amador County.” Supervisor Chairman John Plasse said the Jackson Lions plan to be at the parade. Supervisor Ted Novelli said they should be aware that “some of us can’t make it” because of the Veterans Day ceremonies they hold every Veterans Day in the Upcountry, at the Amador Hills Cemetery.
Buckley said she was aware of the Amador Hills Cemetery ceremony and some of her Veterans Day parade riders leave the parade and go straight up to attend the Upcountry ceremony. Supervisor Richard Forster said he plans to be there for the parade, unless his granddaughter is born on or around that date.
The parade is set for Friday, Nov. 11, and parade entrants gather on North Main Street, north of the California Street intersection and TSPN TV studios. The parade travels south on Main Street.
Floyd Martin, director of the Amador County Veterans Office said that Buckley was planning to bring applications for parade entrants to his office in the American Legion Hall on Sutter Hill.
Another way to honor veterans are national and Northern California programs that offer free flights to Washington D.C. for military veterans. One program, Honor Flight Northern California, is a non-profit created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices by flying them to Washington D.C. to visit and reflect at the memorials of their military branches and wars.
The group’s site, HonorFlightNorCal.org said the “top priority” for flights is “given to senior World War II survivors along with those other veterans that may be terminally ill.” The WWII memorial was dedicated 60 years after the end of the war, in 2004, meaning many veterans may not have had the opportunity or resources to “see their country’s tribute to their bravery.”
The group said that “senior heroes travel absolutely free” and they are accompanied by trained volunteer guardians who pay their own expenses on the trip. The North Coast Honor Flight is based in Eureka.
A national Honor Flight organization, HonorFlight.org, also offers free flights to military veterans, also with a priority given to senior WWII vets.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
