American Valor Quarterly Issue 12 - Spring 2015 | Page 8

THE NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY PARADE –
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS
The 2015 National Memorial Day Parade will kick off at
2:00 PM on Monday, May 25, along Constitution Avenue in
Washington, DC.
While it might seem like second nature for a parade to
make its way through the nation’s capital on our military’s
most sacred day, the tradition in Washington is comparatively
new. Memorial Day parades in cities and towns across
America go back to the start of the holiday in the years
following the Civil War. Washington had its own parades,
as well, but in the years following World War II the long
tradition faded away, as Americans’ attention on the holiday
turned increasingly toward the opening of swimming pools
and barbeques.
In 2004, the American
Veterans Center and
World War II Veterans
Committee was asked
to lead the effort to
host “A Parade Salute to
World War II Veterans,”
which coincided with the
dedication of the National
World War II Memorial
on the National Mall.
“The parade was on Memorial Day morning along the streets
of Washington,” recalled AVC president James C. Roberts.
“Afterward, we looked around and asked ourselves, ‘Isn’t there
an annual Memorial Day parade in our nation’s capital?’”

After looking into it and finding that the DC Memorial
Day parades had long since vanished, the AVC decided to
reinstitute The National Memorial Day Parade in 2005. With
many small-town parades across the nation fading away, as
the World War II generation that has often led them has
largely passed from the scene,
The National Memorial Day
Parade was launched to be a
grand national parade, a familyfriendly tribute to our military’s
past and present, and calling
attention to the true meaning of
the holiday - honoring those who
have made the ultimate sacrifice
for our freedoms.
The National Memorial
Day Parade is now the largest
Memorial Day event in the
country, drawing hundreds
of thousands of spectators
and millions on a national
television broadcast. It is also
televised LIVE to our military
men and women serving around the world on American
Forces Network. It features marching bands, veterans’
organizations, musical performances, active duty troops, and
celebrities throughout (pictured above, actor Gary Sinise
meets with uniformed personnel participating in the parade).
The parade is funded solely through contributions of
generous individuals and sponsors, and only possible through
private support, with no taxpayer dollars. And, with your
continued support, the National Memorial Day Parade will
celebrate another ten years and beyond, a fitting tribute to
our military heroes and a tradition for the entire nation.
To learn more about The National Memorial Day Parade,
visit NationalMemorialdayParade.com.

WORLD WAR II VETERANS COMMITTEE HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM - NOW ONLINE
For more than 20 years, The World War II Veterans Committee has worked to bring the legacy of The Greatest Generation
to the latest generation. A number of years ago, the Committee commissioned work on a comprehensive World War II
Curriculum for high school teachers and students, designed to give them the tools to learn about the most devastating conflict
in world history, and the defining event of
the 20th Century.
Accessible to thousands of teachers
and students, the Curriculum is now
available online, and offers a full week’s
worth of material, providing an in-depth
understanding of the causes of the war, the
actions needed to secure victory, and the
men and women who won it.
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AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY