Veteran’s Day Parade Returns to Downtown Mesa

MESA, Ariz. – The Mesa Veterans Parade Association (MVPA) will present their 3rd Annual Mesa Veteran’s Day Parade Tuesday, Nov. 11th in Downtown Mesa. The parade will commence at the Mesa Convention Center at 11 a.m., and head south to First Avenue, and then West to conclude at approximately 12:30 p.m. at MacDonald.

“One out of every 12 Mesa citizens is a veteran,” said Frank “Gunny” Alger, Jr., 2008 Parade Chair and Immediate Past President of MVPA. “It is the mission of the MVPA to ensure that this parade occurs each year, so that our veterans see the honor and support that they deserve.”

This Veteran’s Day event will feature an antique military vehicle display by Wingspan, on MacDonald just north of Main Street. Wingspan Air Heritage foundation volunteers work in restoring antique military aircraft vehicles which, along with other artifacts, are used to tell the stories and histories of our Veterans. A high school ROTC exhibition drilling will take place on Robson just north of Main Street. Various high school ROTC’s will also have booths.

The event will also feature a free outdoor concert at Main St. and MacDonald by Mary Hoffman. Hoffman has been the opening act for the Kenny Chesney Poets and Pirates Tour, with Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Sammy Hagar, and Gary Allen at the University of Phoenix Stadium. KTAR radio personality, Jay Lawrence will be the emcee at the center of the parade.

The Mesa Veteran’s Parade Association invites businesses, social and civic organizations that wish to show their support of our local veterans to enter the parade.  Parade entry is free.  Applications can be obtained online at www.azveterans.com or by calling (480) 664-1604.  Entries must be faxed back by October 29th.

Immediately following the parade, 1989 West Pointe graduate Bill Montgomery will speak at the Mesa Arts Center. Montgomery has over 18 years of military service, including six and a half years on active duty. His active duty service encompassed duty with the first Calvary Division where he led a tank platoon during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm receiving the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service. Montgomery holds many other honors, awards, and medals and is also a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.

“This parade is important to the community as a whole as well as to the Veteran community because our soldiers need to see that they are returning to a community that welcomes and supports them,” said Alger. “These types of events can also be a major part of the tremendous healing process that many of our troops and their families go through on a daily basis.”

Special thanks are extended to the parade sponsors which include; Boeing, Pizza Fusion, the American Legion Post 26, Justice Trax, Laradas Army Surplus and Outdoor Store, and Mesa Riverview. For more information about this event, please visit www.azveterans.com.

About Mesa Veterans Day Parade Association
The Mesa Veterans Day Parade Association, a private group of mostly veterans from several Veterans organizations, formed in 2006 in response to the City of Mesa having to cancel their Veterans Day Parade due to budget constraints. The MVPA co-founders were Jerry Walker, a field medic from the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, Frank “Gunny” Alger, a retired Gunnery Sergeant and Marine Corps Veteran, . MVPA prides itself on being 100% volunteer, 100% dedicated, and 100% committed to honoring our veterans. They raise all the needed funds from fundraisers and private donations and perform all functions to put on the parade. MVPA’s foremost mission is to ensure that a parade honoring our veterans happens each year in Mesa.

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