The 2016 Armed Forces Day Parade
For the 70th consecutive year, Hamilton County and the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council will salute military members with a parade. General Michael Garrett, commanding general of United States Army Forces Command, is coming to Chattanooga for the Armed Forces Day Parade, which will take place Friday at 10:30 a.m. in downtown Chattanooga. The procession will travel northward on Market Street from MLK Boulevard.
General Garrett recently assumed command of the Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), the Army’s largest command, and its more than 750,000 Army, reserve and National Guard soldiers and civilians. An infantry officer and Xavier University graduate, his previous assignments include commanding general of U.S. Army Central, chief of staff of U.S. Central Command and commanding general of U.S. Army Alaska. Garrett will act as the senior reviewing officer at the parade and as keynote speaker at a luncheon immediately following the parade.
The luncheon will be held at the Chattanooga Convention Center at noon. Service members in uniform may attend free of charge, but advance tickets are required for other luncheon guests.
Another honored guest will be parade marshal and Chattanooga native Bo Cline, a WWII veteran and Purple Heart recipient whose plane was shot down over Germany before he was captured and held as a prisoner of war.
“I marched in the Armed Forces Day parade when I was younger, and today, the parade remains a defining feature of our community,” said this year’s military chair, retired Army Colonel Tom McConnell. “It’s incredible that Hamilton County continues to put on a patriotic event of this magnitude every year. It’s humbling to meet veterans like Bo Cline and active duty soldiers like General Garrett, who represent the best of our nation, and it’s a thrill to see so many people lining up to watch, participate and honor our service members.”
Friday’s parade will kick off with a flyover by a UH-60L Blackhawk hoist medical rescue helicopter, then the procession will be led by an honor guard and band from the 101st Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell, Ky. Spectators will also enjoy a wide range of parade entries, including high school marching bands, JROTC units, entries from every military branch, civic and volunteer organizations and patriotic businesses. Following the parade, viewers are invited to Ross’s Landing, where the Blackhawk helicopter will be on static display until mid-afternoon.
For more information, visit the parade’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/chattafparade/.