At 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, World War I formally came to an end. The armistice signed that morning marked not just peace after years of devastating conflict, but the moment that would come to be remembered on Veterans Day for generations to come.
More than a century later, at that same hour and date, Durango’s Veterans Day Parade made its way up Main Avenue – one of many across the country honoring military service.
Engines rumbled and horns blared as the parade moved along Main Avenue. Onlookers lined the sidewalks, many wearing red, white and blue garlands. Three women sat together on the stoop of an old building, each holding a miniature flag, waiting for their husbands to pass. A line of children sat cross-legged along the curb.
Larry Barnes, a lifelong Durango resident and Navy veteran, watched with a group of seniors from the Cottonwood Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. He leaned forward in his wheelchair, bundled against the November chill, a blue cap proclaiming his veteran status.
To him, Veterans Day is a solemn reminder of the sacrifices made by members of the U.S. military in past wars and a celebration of the freedoms those sacrifices helped preserve.
“As young men, we put our lives on the line,” he said. A younger woman standing beside him nodded.
“We wouldn’t be the America we are today without you guys,” she said.
The parade stretched for several blocks – a patchwork of flags and uniforms. Members of the Durango Elks Lodge and Knights of Columbus marched past. A pickup truck rolled past carrying U.S. Navy veterans, followed by a group holding a banner that read “Vets Against the Next War.” An old tank rumbled down Main Avenue, carrying men in faded fatigues and a sign honoring prisoners of war.
Martin Prouty, who marched with the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization, said the group participates every year because patriotism is one of its key pillars.
“It’s critical to support our troops and to support our veterans – they’ve given the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” he said.
Although the parade featured many veterans and supporting groups, the crowd was noticeably thin.
“Sure, I’d like to see some more turnout,” Prouty said. But overall, he and fellow member Tom Shonk said they weren’t too bothered by it.
Shonk noted Veterans Day fell on a Tuesday, which likely contributed the smaller turnout. Those who could attend probably made the effort, he said.
In recent decades, younger generations appear to have distanced themselves from outward displays of patriotism and support for the military.
One veteran said that while this may be true, it’s likely because today’s youths are further removed from the realities of war.
“They just don’t know,” he said, adding that many young people have not witnessed the full scale of a world war or been affected by the widespread social impacts it had on earlier generations.
Shonk said much of it comes down to upbringing. In his family – and in many conservative, rural households – that sense of patriotism remains strong. Families make a point to teach their children about the sacrifices made by older generations who went off to war, he said.
It’s especially important to Shonk, whose father spent 20 years in the Marine Corps fighting battles overseas.
“He gave everything,” Shonk said. “He gave so much for our freedom.”
jbowman@durangoherald.com
