Parade celebrates county's veterans

HOLTVILLE — On the sunny Saturday morning of November 4, red-white-and-blue-clad residents and participants of the Holtville Veterans Day Parade gathered in celebration of military personnel worldwide, uniting service men and women with civilians in a revamped effort to revive both love of country and commitment to community.

Patriotic floats sailed down the main drag alongside local law enforcement officials and factions of high school pride, while the seasonal farmer’s market buzzed along in the background. “May all the veterans and military families be remembered for their courage, dedication, support, and service,” said the announcer, on behalf of the California Highway Patrol.

Sitting curbside on his walker, 76-year-old Carlos Loya watched the parade from beneath the shade of his Vietnam Veteran hat. “I love this,” he said. Having served in the Navy during the Vietnam War and in surrounding areas for three years, Loya said the most important thing about the day is remembering that veterans should “stick together” even outside of active duty and well after being discharged.

From behind a booth selling patriotic themed t-shirts and American flags, Bonnie Puyot Moreno and Karen Gibbs could be seen chatting up potential donors for the American Legion. The pair said they try to give back to veterans year-round via participating in events like the February Carrot Festival and promoting their National Poppy Day drive held in May. They too try to keep a tight knit community, mentioning the success of the annual Veterans Day breakfast held earlier that morning.

“The camaraderie here is really nice,” said Moreno. “The breakfast was great, we had over sixty people turn out today. One of the ladies took some food to the retirement inn because we have some veterans that live there, so it was really nice.” The ladies made sure to shout out Helen Wilson for her massive role in making the annual tradition possible.

Gibbs spoke of one Brawley family of five who benefits from the work that they do by using donation money to pay for car expenses like mileage and repairs. “We’re always helping out where we can,” said Gibbs.

Julie Plemmons, representative for the Daughter of the American Revolution, manned a booth on behalf of the Desert Palm Chapter and Wreaths Across America program, which places wreaths on the gravesites of fallen service men and women at national and participating cemeteries.

“I’m handing out candy for my church so I can get badges,” said grandson and little helper Mason Moore, 8. “And this is my Grammy,” he added, gesturing proudly to the smiling woman behind him. The two would like to honor several family members, whom they always ensure has a wreath of their own at Christmas time. Plemmons’ father, a military veteran, is buried at Riverview Cemetery in Brawley. She said about 30 other families contacted her personally to place wreaths on their family member’s headstones as well, despite not having a participating cemetery in the valley just yet.

Christina Silva said she came to the parade today to support her son who marched in the parade with the Central Union High School Law Academy. For Matthew Vasquez and friend, Johnathan Guerra, both sophomores at CUHS, having to stay in step while so many people watched them was a first for them. Both boys agree that they will most likely use their experience with the program to further their service to the community by joining the military.

A large group of young adults from AmeriCorps posed for a photo nearby in celebration of service as well. Coordinator and Project Specialist for ICOE, John Cabrera, spoke of the largely successful and alternative ways the program has nurtured other productive members and protectors of society. He said the well-networked, grassroots program seeks to connect young people and give them a sense of purpose, job experience, and an applicable set of life skills.

“You hear a lot of people saying ‘oh young people now, they don’t want to work’, blah blah blah, well you know that’s not the case with us. I mean we really work with them,” Cabrera said, of the program now in its thirtieth year. By promoting the acquisition of life saving skills like CPR certification and celebrating much-needed volunteerism, the patriotic American spirit seems alive and well from elders to youth and in civil-minded sectors across the board.

Sarina E. Guerra

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