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© St. Petersburg Times, published November 12, 2002
Once again, Inverness showed on Monday why it deserves to be known as an All-American city. On a glorious fall morning, hundreds of residents turned out to honor our community's military veterans with an inspiring parade along Main Street.
The organizers and participants should be proud of their efforts, as the event was a shining example of all that is right with Citrus County. From the veterans marching in synchronized step -- some habits stay with you, even 50 years after boot camp -- to the public officials in stylish cars to the many organizations honoring those who have served our nation, the parade was a colorful display of patriotism.
You didn't have to wait very long to see the Stars and Stripes pass by, as nearly every unit carried at least one American flag. And, as usual at parades, you could easily tell the veterans in the audience; they were the men and women who stood up -- sometimes leaning on canes -- and placed their right hands over their hearts every time an American flag passed by. Wouldn't it be terrific if every American remembered this essential element of flag etiquette?
And you couldn't help but smile at the row of American flags on the utility poles along Main Street that framed the marchers on this important occasion. It is events like this that inspired the recent citizens' effort to have the flags attached to the poles. Well done.
More than one person in the crowd noted the number of young people marching in groups ranging from the Nature Coast Young Marines to the Junior ROTC programs that are flourishing at the county's three high schools. The torch of patriotism is indeed being passed to a new generation.
At the same time, the sight of so many youngsters in military uniforms, many carrying wooden rifles, was sobering.
With the drumbeats of war with Iraq growing louder, with the threat of renewed hostilities with North Korea over that nation's nuclear weapons program a reality, with American service personnel already doing their duty in far-flung locations from Bosnia and Saudi Arabia to Indonesia and Guantanamo Bay, it is easy to imagine many of these children being in harm's way in the coming years if they choose to pursue military careers.
Today, it's a parade down Main Street. Tomorrow, it could be a foxhole in Iraq, waiting for a cloud of poisonous gas to arrive.
It is a sign of this nation's character that we pause to honor those who have risked their lives to protect our freedoms, although remembering veterans on only one day a year is a gross disservice to them. As this Veterans Day fades into memory, we would do well to remember not only those senior citizens who gamely marched down Main Street in their uniforms but those children who proudly followed in their footsteps.
Those who served in the military know all too well the horrors of combat and would not wish those experiences on anyone, especially their children and grandchildren or the dozens of fresh-faced youngsters marching in formation on Monday.
While we owe the vets our eternal gratitude and respect, while all of us share the responsibility of protecting our homeland, we should also strive to avoid creating yet another generation of veterans of foreign wars.
Not all who serve are fortunate enough to return home and march in parades.