Bill Norton of the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council and chairman of the Armed Forces Day Parade on Thursday declared that General Robert B Neller, Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, "..doesn't allow it to rain when he's having an event" ---and he was right.
Under sunny skies, the parade was the largest in number of participating organizations in the 67-year history of the event. Following in the footsteps of the U.S. Marine Corps Band, there were marching bands and JROTC units from nearly every nearby public high school demonstrated their skills and enthusiasm to a cheering crowd all along Market Street from MLK Blvd to the river.
Sea Cadets, Navy League, veteran groups, the DAR, historical military vehicle clubs and other organizations too numerous to list filled out the mile-long parade as vintage military prop planes buzzed overhead.
Following the parade, nearly 500 people joined for a celebratory lunch at the Chattanooga Convention Center to hear General Neller. But, first, Senator Bob Corker, Congressman Chuck Fleischman, Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger, and Mayor Andy Berke extended their welcomes.
Citing that this was his first visit to Chattanooga except for a drive-through, General Neller thanked Chattanoogans for their enthusiastic patriotism and said he "... Would like to bottle it and sprinkle it over Washington when I get back to the Pentagon....".
The General was ably supported with boots on the ground in the form of the 26-member U.S. Marine Corps Band from New Orleans and Col J. J. Russo, Commanding Officer of the 14th Marine Regiment, headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Tex., the regiment to which the local Marine Corp battalion is connected. Col. Russo joined with local Navy League President Ron Galante at the Navy League table.