The 2016 Armed Forces Day Parade
Hamilton County and the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council will salute military members in the 68th annual Armed Forces Day parade and luncheon on Friday at 10:30 a.m. in downtown Chattanooga. Each year, the parade highlights a different branch of service. This year, the event features the Air Force and will begin with a flyover of two F-16s piloted by Lt. Col. Dave Snodgrass and Maj. Gen. Richard Scobee.
Maj. Gen. Scobee, son of Chattanooga resident June Scobee Rodgers, is a command pilot with more than 3,800 flight hours, including 248 combat hours. He is the 10th Air Force commander, Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base. His command includes all fighter, bomber, special operations, rescue, airborne warning and control, fighter and bomber flying-training missions, combat air operations battle staff, remotely-piloted aircraft, space and cyber units in the Air Force Reserve Command.
Another special guest for the event is Lt. General Arnold W. Bunch, Jr., military deputy for the office of the assistant Air Force secretary for acquisition at the defense department. Lt. Gen. Bunch will serve as senior reviewing officer at the parade and will speak at a luncheon immediately afterward. He oversees research and development, production, tests and upgrade work on the service branch’s programs. Prior to his current position, he was commander of the Air Force test center for three years at Edwards Air Force Base. He has more than 2,500 in flight hours as a command pilot flying F-16, KC-135, B-52 and other military aircraft.
This year, two Air Force veterans are acting as parade marshals: Jack Rolfson, a WWII B-17 pilot, and Eugene Parrott, a fighter pilot in the Korean War.
Spectators will enjoy nearly 100 parade entries like JROTC units and high school marching bands, military vehicles, veterans’ organizations, area businesses, volunteer organizations and entries from every military branch. The parade procession, the largest in recent years, will travel northward on Market St. from MLK.
The luncheon will be held at the Trade Center at noon, and service members in uniform may attend free of charge. Advance tickets are required for the lunch.
For more information, visit the parade’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/chattafparade/ or the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council at http://chattareaveterans.com/.
The 2016 Armed Forces Day Parade