In Blacksburg parade, veterans hear a hearty 'thanks'

In Blacksburg parade, veterans hear a hearty 'thanks'
Hundreds of New River Valley residents gathered on South Main Street on Sunday to clap, wave flags and greet veterans who paraded by.
By Mason Adams

Col. Wesley Fox, one of fewer than 85 living Medal of Honor recipients, talks with compatriots before the Welcome Home Veterans Parade in Blacksburg. Fox was in the Marines for 43 years and is a former deputy commandant for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. BLACKSBURG -- Generations of military veterans marched together Sunday in a parade that culminated with the annual Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets' change of command ceremony.

Hundreds of New River Valley residents gathered on South Main Street to clap, wave small American flags and say "thank you" as the veterans walked or rode by.

As one vet passed by in the back of a car, Peggy Eaton of Montgomery County rushed out to shake his hand. Eaton said she lost three fathers -- her birth father, her stepfather and her father-in-law -- to World War II, and said it was important to be at the parade to pay tribute to their sacrifices.

Gary Harris of Radford had the same idea. He has been driving a recreational vehicle called "A Soldier's Spirit" for years to pay tribute to those who have perished in wars. Harris, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 776, served in the Army and fought in the Vietnam War in 1970.

"My friend Steve Traynor, we had 48 days to come home from Vietnam, and he got killed," Harris said. "So when I retired, I bought this old bus and put that mural on the side. When I went out camping or on trips, other people want to put a name of their loved one on the side."
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