Matthew Burnette, Staff Writer

As a heavy fog slowly dispersed, folks of all ages congregated on the Manchester square for a mid-morning celebration of Veterans Day with a parade and patriotic program.

The parade began at Raider Academy and made its way to the square as onlookers waved and saluted along its route.

VFW Post #10904 Commander Kimberly King noted that the parade was the longest in the seven-year history of the annual event with over 100 entries.

She said that it’s great to see the comradery and friendship that the celebration offers.

“Everybody’s smiling and having a good time, and everybody feels special whether they’re Navy or military or not,” she said. “It’s just a great American patriotic event, and we know that the public wants to be patriotic, and this gives them a chance to do that.”

King was also honored with a surprise entry in the parade. Post member James Massengille and others built a float resembling a Naval vessel that they christened the “USS Kimberly King.”

“It brought tears to my eyes,” said King. “They told me about it for two months that they had a surprise for me, and that was a great surprise. It was absolutely wonderful.”

The parade also featured vehicles from several of the city and county’s emergency services, the Coffee County Central High School marching band and color guard, several walking participants in costumes and a number of individual vehicles both new and classic, among others.

A contest was held for best parade entry with Cub Scout Pack 314 winning First Place, the Westwood Middle Basketball team scoring Second and Navy veteran Brian Harshbarger taking home Third with his 2024 Honda Talon Four-Seater.

Post 10904 Chaplain Bob Brinkman began the ceremony with an invocation, and Gina Kasper sang the National Anthem.

Lloyd Smith performed the “Armed Services Medley” and “America the Beautiful.” He also closed the program with a rendition of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”

Westwood Middle School Principal and Retired Army Major Jim Dobson served as the announcer for the parade as well as the Master of Ceremonies for the program that followed.

Dobson took time during the ceremony to specifically recognize three groups: veterans, Gold Star mothers and families, and police, firemen, and first responders and their families.

The program also featured presentations of Quilts of Valor by the Manchester Quilting Ladies Guild to five local veterans.

“The organization’s mission is to honor service members and veterans who have been touched by war with comforting and healing quilts. These quilts are an expression of gratitude meant to thank and comfort the recipients,” read Lou Brewer representing the Manchester Quilting Ladies Guild.

Quilts were presented to Retired Navy Commander Sophia G. Conerly, PFC John K. Davis, Staff Sargeant Robin Walker, Staff Sergeant Donald Leon Skuya and Petty Officer 2^nd class R.V. McMahan.

Conerly, who also serves as the Vice President of Women Military Aviators, was the guest speaker for the program.

She spoke about how societal changes affect the look and makeup of the military,

Conerly referenced how the large number of women, 40-41,000, who were deployed in combat support roles led to the repeal of the exclusion clause in the Women Armed Services Integration Act in 1993 which in turn led to the ban on women in combat roles being lifted in 2013.

“I served during those periods of change and am proud to be an early female aviator but my focus during my 21-year career was to be a good officer and pilot, not to be identified as a female officer or a female pilot,” she said. “I along with other women who flew in the70s and 80s pushed for opportunities to serve our country and fly.”

Conerly also spoke about how her time in the military “grew” her as a person.

“It challenged me and taught me these valuable lessons on life,” she began. “Life doesn’t always take you down the road that you want, family is everything and worth every career sacrifice, children are resilient and adapt to their ever-changing addresses and a military spouse is the hardest job in the world.”

Conerly’s remarks ended with her assuring that the younger generation of service members will carry on with a lot of the characteristics that have always shaped the military.

“As we watch the world change and sometimes shake our heads, know that what we see in the media is just a narrow view of this generation who were born in the 1990s,” she noted. “There are more who love this country. My daughter is a Navy helicopter pilot, and my son is a Marine Corps jet pilot, and what I observe in them and their shipmates is that they are smart, talented and courageous.”

“We are in good hands.”