American flags were waved high in the air as the community came out in large numbers to support the annual Veterans Days Parade in Liberty County. Parade watchers lined up along Main Street, flags in hand and cheered on the veterans, marching bands and dignitaries who walked the route on a clear and pleasant afternoon.
Prior to the parade, the Liberty branch of the NAACP honored one the oldest living veterans in Liberty County, SFC retired Ralph Dixon, 92. The community thanked him for his duty and dedicated service in protecting our country.
Liberty NAACP President Eric Hollis said it was an honor to recognize Dixon for his service.
“This young 92-year-old has accomplished a lot of things,” he said. “We wanted to thank him for being at the tip of the spear and for standing between what was right and what was wrong. To meet him, to say it was an honor, that word isn’t even doing it justice. He is 92 and he is still just as fired up as any young person in this community. He is a phenomenal person we have in our community. It was more than an honor to meet him.”
Dixon is a Vietnam veteran, Korean War Veteran and also fought in World War II.
East Liberty County American Legion Post 321 Commander Jeffery Bowen said they weren’t able to host the parade last year due to the pandemic and he was happy this year was different.
“This is our 14th parade that we’ve done,” he said. “It actually feels nice to be able to do it. Last year we had a lot of people that wanted us to do it, but due to the circumstances of COVID-19, obviously we couldn’t, and we are happy to get back into doing it. I know eventually down the line when the restrictions are loosened up even more, we can expand the parade. This is one of the smallest parades that we’ve had, and that is 100 percent due to COVID-19.”
He said in order to host this year’s parade, they had to follow new guidelines and restrict the number of participants in the parade.
Bowen said the turnout was great and meant that people were starting to feel more comfortable in getting out in the community once again. He said people are using precautionary measures and came out to honor the veterans of the community.
Bowen said this year’s parade was not only in honor of the veterans who served their country, but also for all the first responders and people in the community that served their fellow man throughout the pandemic.
Bowen served in the military for 23 years. His wife served for three years as well. He said military spouses should be honored for their duty and sacrifices as well.
“I say she spent three years, but she spent 23 years just as much as I did,” he said. “She did the same things I did. Every time I moved from one station to another, she had to pick up and move from one station to another, ... It’s just as much a burden or hardship on them as it is on the active-duty member.”
Read more on Dixon in next week’s Courier.