Island veterans, active military, and Islanders marched from Oak Bluffs Harbor to Ocean Park on Monday for the annual Veterans Day Parade.
Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf War veterans, alongside the U.S. Coast Guard, Dukes County Sheriff’s Deputies, members of the U.S. Navy, the Oak Bluffs Fire and Police departments, and Island Cub and Boy Scouts participated, proudly bearing their respective flags.
Ocean Park’s veterans memorial stone, where the parade stopped for the ceremony portion of the event, features the names of 50 Oak Bluffs men who served in the first World War, and 68 bricks surrounding it feature names of loved ones who did not make it home.
Randy Dull, who served in Iraq, and is the Island’s veterans service officer, kicked off the ceremony; he said that he strives to make veterans around the Island feel safe and at home.
“From my experience, seeing how initially Vietnam vets were treated coming home, and in comparison to how I was treated with a big welcome home — it’s about keeping that honorary recognition,” he said. “The one that gets me is some people say they aren’t veterans because they did not serve in active combat areas, but anyone who served honorably and did their time is a veteran, and they need to get their recognition.”
After a wreath-laying ceremony, the parade marched back to Nancy’s to culminate the morning.
