PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — 134 years and counting — that’s how long Portsmouth has been holding a parade on Memorial Day. It’s among the oldest in the country, starting in 1884.
People who lined both sides of High Street and even the median in the middle reflected on why the parade is held and why we have Memorial Day.
“It’s important for me because my grandfather, my father, and a lot of my family was in the military,” said Valerie Simpson, whose relatives have served in the Navy. Army and Air Force.
People with a sense of patriotism were waving flags, twirling flags, even wearing flags. They included Joie Goodwin, whose father was in the Merchant Marine.
“We just feel very blessed and proud to be an American.”
In the shadow of a monument honoring Confederate dead and our military past, units marched that represent our military present, and possibly in the case of Junior ROTC, its future. Some reflected on the risks they take, the sacrifices they make.
“We lost a lot of men going to war and protecting this country,” said Brian Baird, a former Norfolk Naval Shipyard worker. “So we have freedom today to do the things we want to do. Freedom is not free.”
And it wouldn’t have been a true parade with some local and state lawmakers, including State Senator Louise Lucas and U.S. Representative Bobby Scott.
And it never hurts for your parade to get a shout-out from a U.S. Senator, especially one with a son in the Marine Corps.
“Memorial Day is really special to us,” said Senator Tim Kaine, “and Portsmouth has the best Memorial Day parade in the state, so it was really good to come and be a part of it.”
