The festivities get underway with an opening ceremony beginning at 1:00 p.m. and the parade starting at 2:00 p.m.

BRUNSWICK, Md., Oct. 31, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The City of Brunswick is proud of its history and patriotism, which can be witnessed on Sunday, November 5th, as the city hosts its 91st Annual Brunswick Veterans Day Parade, making this event one of the oldest of its kind in the country. The festivities get underway with an opening ceremony beginning at 1:00 p.m. and the parade starting at 2:00 p.m. Once again, this event has been recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Day National Committee as an official regional site for the 2023 Veterans Day Commemoration and is one of only three in Maryland to get this designation.

The keynote speaker for the Opening Ceremony and the grand marshal for the parade is retired U.S. Marine Corps Major General James W. Lukeman. General Lukeman, who now serves as the president and CEO of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, commanded the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines and served as the Assistant Chief of Staff for the 1st Marine Division in Iraq during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.

Additional assignments for Lukeman included Director of the Career Course at the Staff NCO academy at Quantico, Virginia; Assistant for Strategy and Force Planning in the Office of the Secretary of Defense; Commanding Officer, Security Battalion and Chief of Staff for Marine Corps Base Quantico. And as a General Officer, he served as Commanding General of the Second Marine Division; Commanding General, Training and Education Command; Assistant Chief of Staff, U/C/J-5, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/U.S. Forces Korea and Inspector General of the Marine Corps.

Command Sergeant Major Michael Dills from Fort Detrick will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the Opening Ceremony. The Fort Detrick Color Guard and Brunswick Elementary School Choir will also participate in the event. Military Veteran and musician Darryl Brenzel will perform the National Anthem. Remarks will also be provided by Brunswick Mayor Nathan Brown and MD State Senator William Folden.

At 2:00 p.m., the 91st Annual Brunswick Veterans Day Parade will get underway. There are approximately 100 parade entries, ranging from marching bands such as Brunswick High School to veterans and military groups. Numerous fire trucks, antique vehicles, youth and community organizations are also participating and vying for cash prizes awarded in various parade categories. The parade’s emcee will be Navy veteran and Frederick Chamber of Commerce CEO Rick Weldon.    

World War II Veteran Carl Felton will serve as the honorary parade marshal for this year’s parade. SM3c Felton was born in 1926 and joined the U.S. Navy in October 1943, just four months after graduating from high school, at 17 years of age. After receiving training in Morse Code, Felton became a Signalman and assigned to the HMS Ceres. The ship was in charge of directing traffic in and out of Omaha Beach.

In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, the ship left for Normandy and took heavy fire off the coast. Felton was stationed on the bridge, sending and receiving messages. Many ships around him were sunk. He was stationed at Omaha Beach throughout the summer of 1944 before moving on to Cherbourg to help rebuild the port. Felton was transferred in 1945 to the USS Baker, whose main job was to search for mines. He returned to New York City on the Queen Elizabeth in 1945 and was transferred to the USS Scott, which escorted a captured German submarine to Washington, D.C. Finally, Felton was sent to Florida to assist in the decommission of several ships and was honorably discharged in April 1946.

After the parade, attendees are encouraged to attend a reception at American Legion Post 96 in Brunswick. Food and beverages will be provided at no charge for attendees. For more information, check out the Brunswick Veteran’s Day Parade’s Facebook page.

Media Contact

Shuan Butcher, Parade Coordinator, Brunswick Veterans Day Parade, 240-344-4757, [email protected], https://www.facebook.com/brunswickveteransparade

SOURCE Brunswick Veterans Day Parade