Veterans celebrated in downtown Clarksville with ceremony, parade | PHOTOS

by Wesley Irvin

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The community gathered downtown Saturday to honor veterans, starting the day with the annual Veterans Day ceremony, followed by the parade. The parade had over 70 entrants this year, including dozens of vehicles, trailers, and floats.

Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden gave thanks to the local veterans and families. “One of the best things that we can do is to teach our children what it means to honor our veterans and to honor this country,” Golden said.

Andrew Kester, retired U.S. Army first sergeant and Montgomery County’s director of Continuous Improvement, spoke about the history of the Veterans Service Organization. “We’re here today to recognize 80 years of service,” Kester stated, explaining that the VSO began in 1944 as the Ex-Servicemen’s Bureau to support veterans and their families after World War II. Today, it is the largest VSO in Tennessee, serving over 34,000 veterans.

Kester encouraged veterans to share their stories with family and friends. “Every veteran has a story,” he said, remembering how he only found out about his grandfather’s military service after he had passed. He told veterans to “share those stories with friends and family so those stories can continue on.”

As the ceremony ended, Golden spoke about the community honoring veterans. “Montgomery County knows how to honor our veterans better than anybody else,” he said. The ceremony ended with a wreath-laying to honor veterans, music sung by the Clarksville High School Choir, followed by the parade.