D.C. Memorial Day parade to honor recently fallen
Monday - 5/28/2012, 12:15pm ET
Memorial Day parade will honor sacrifice of current generation
Tim Holbert, executive director of the American Veterans Center and producer of the National Memorial Day Parade
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Darci Marchese, wtop.com
WASHINGTON - For the eighth year in a row, D.C. will be the site of the National Memorial Day Parade, and organizers this year are making sure to honor those who died in the current generation.
There has been no official parade for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the Department of Defense decided a parade wasn't appropriate with troops still in harms way.
But this year's Memorial Day parade is offering a way to honor both the living and the dead.
Tim Holbert, executive director of the American Veterans Center and producer of the National Memorial Day Parade, says he's calling on Iraq and Afghanistan war vets to "walk down Constitution (Avenue) in honor of their fallen comrades."
Holbert says the parade will be a perfect opportunity for vets and the public to say, "'Thank you for what you did.'" He says it will let them "honor the sacrifice of the ones that didn't come home."
For those who can't attend the parade in person, the procession will be available online.
"That's really what the intention was -- to make this parade not just for Washington but for the country," says Holbert.
The parade starts at 2 p.m. Monday on Constitution Avenue at 7th Street NW and end at Constitution Avenue and 17th Street NW. More information on the route is available here.
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