CANTON − Tina Carpenter, who uses a walker, trekked from her Canton Towers apartment on Fifth Street NE to the front of the former Timken High School building in downtown Canton for the community’s annual Memorial Day parade.
“I usually come,” she said, wearing red and blue ribbons in her hair. “It’s important to serve the military that served our country.”
Several hundred people lined both sides of Tuscarawas Street W as the parade kicked off at 10 a.m. May 25. A procession of cars, trucks, motorcycles, veterans and drum corps headed west to the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum.
Brandon Harris, a Marine Corps veteran and Stark County Honor Court graduate, walked in the parade with his children Mejia Phelps, 7, Niyol Harris, 5, and Amilya Harris, 3.
“I served our country 10 years,” Harris said. “It’s important to honor the ones who gave their lives. It’s not easy to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to fight for my country.'”
Stark County Common Pleas County Judge Taryn Heath, who decided not to seek reelection, rode in a parade car, marking her last “official” Memorial Day appearance. Heath has presided over the Honor Court for 15 years.
“Like I say when I’m picking a jury, our military men and women sign a contract to protect the Constitution and our country,” she said. “There is no greater service to our nation than those who make the ultimate sacrifice. The best way we can honor them is to take care of those who come back with PTSD, to help them reclaim their honor and their lives.”
Jennifer Mitchell of Massillon and her son Gabe, 11, were among some of the first paradegoers, setting up camp not far from Carpenter.
“We come every year to honor the heroes and all the people who have served,” she said. “I like to teach my kids about it.”
As he prepared to march, Air Force veteran Robert Cobb noted that he has served as an American Legion Post 204 honor guard for 12 years.
“Being a military guy, it’s a good honor for those who serve and protect our freedoms,” he said.
Fran McMillan said she and her husband Larry, a Vietnam War veteran, have attended faithfully for decades.
“Ever since our kids were little,” she said. “It’s honoring the people who keep us free. The ones who didn’t come back.”
Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton’s Memorial Day parade honors those ‘who didn’t come back’
Reporting by Charita M. Goshay, Canton Repository / The Repository
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