Hundreds Gather For Parade, Speeches
On the coldest morning of the season so far, with temperatures barely above freezing and a sharp wind cutting down Main Street, several hundred people bundled up along the sidewalks for Lexington’s Veterans Day Parade, the first such parade held locally in 25 years. The date also marked the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the community’s Veterans Memorial, which was rededicated after being relocated this fall as part of the Courthouse Square renovation project.
Ahead of the parade’s 10:30 start, veterans gathered at Oak Grove Cemetery, huddled together against the cold. The News-Gazette spoke to some of them, including Mike Lennon, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1978 to 1998. Lennon now works with Purple Heart Homes, a nonprofit that helps veterans “age in place.” He said he’s been in frequent conversation with Lexington Mayor Frank Friedman about doing more locally to acknowledge and support the veteran community.
Lennon also pointed out Lexington’s unique military presence. “VMI is the second biggest source of commissioning for Army officers in the United States,” he said. “West Point is the only school that creates more second lieutenants.”
Lennon said he hopes Lexington’s renewed interest in honoring veterans continues beyond this year’s parade. He described the weekly tradition in Lynchburg at Monument Terrace, where 50 to 200 veterans and supporters gather every Friday at noon — a ritual that has continued without interruption since 2001.
“They haven’t missed a Friday since 9/11. Twentyfour years in a row,” he said. “Why couldn’t we have something like that here?”
Nearby, other veterans introduced themselves quietly, sharing short stories or mentioning the names of friends they were marching for. One veteran said he had recently attended the funeral of a lifelong friend, Mr. Percy — a community member he used to deliver Meals on Wheels to, and a man who had “fought for a year and a half” through severe health complications before passing away.
Veterans spoke of caring for neighbors, volunteering, and supporting each other through illness and loss. “Every single one of us has somebody they want to honor,” one said.
At 10:30 sharp, the procession began moving south along Main Street toward the relocated Veterans Memorial. Students from Waddell Elementary marched briskly together. Bands from Rockbridge County High School and Parry McCluer added brass and drumline sounds to the morning air. VMI cadets led the procession with ceremonial rifles and bagpipes. And at the front, saluting theatrically, was local artist and entertainer Mark Cline, dressed head-to-toe as Uncle Sam.
Coming after the bands was the headliner: a procession of military veterans, walking with their families and grouped by service branch. The vets appeared grateful to be recognized by the shining faces on either side of the street.
When the parade reached Courthouse Square, spectators pressed in close around the newly relocated Rockbridge Veterans Memorial for a ceremony that brought together veterans, families, students, local officials, and leaders from across the region.
The program opened with a welcome from Bob Hopkins, the organizer who emceed the event and joked about the size and spirit of the crowd before turning to a moment of reverence. Hopkins asked attendees to bow their heads as Gregory Parker, head of the music department at Washington and Lee University, offered the ceremony’s opening prayer.
Parker prayed for “a solemn and lasting memory” of those who had served across generations. He expressed gratitude to both veterans and the families who had “often eaten meals with an empty chair at the table” during long deployments.
After the prayer, Parker sang a solo, a cappella rendition of “America the Beautiful,” drawing awe and applause from the bundled crowd.
Lexington Mayor Frank Friedman followed with a warming welcome.
“Good chilly morning,” he said, thanking organizers, volunteers, Washington and Lee representatives, and the local businesses and property owners who helped make the new memorial site possible.
Friedman also recognized a sizable list of elected officials and public leaders in attendance, including Congressman Ben Cline and state Sen. Chris Head. The mayor also recognized two local men killed in service — Drew Ross and Chase Prasnicki — along with VMI graduate Terry Plunk and “all the names we carry in our hearts.”
One of the most warmly received portions of the ceremony came next, when Waddell Elementary music teacher Angie Rader stepped to the microphone, accompanied by 51 fifth-grade students.
The children performed three pieces: “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Our Red, White and Blue,” a song teaching the symbolic meaning of the flag’s colors; and “We Will Not Forget,” a tribute to American service members and their sacrifices.
Voices carried across the square, clear and bright in the cold, as families huddled together and veterans stood at attention.
Hopkins then turned the microphone over to his nephew, Wilson Hopkins, a highly decorated Marine veteran who served seven tours between Iraq and Afghanistan.
Wilson Hopkins offered a forceful and emotional introduction of the keynote speaker, retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. David Furness, VMI’s 16th superintendent and a 1987 VMI graduate. He described serving under Furness in Iraq, recalling firefights, indirect fire, roadside bombs, and what he called Furness’ “exceptional leadership” and “genuine concern for every Marine under his command.”
In his keynote remarks, Furness offered historical grounding, moral clarity, and a challenge to the community.
He traced the origins of Veterans Day from Armistice Day in 1919, honoring World War I veterans “on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month,” and explained its official expansion in 1954 to honor all American veterans of all wars.
Furness urged the audience to “pause and reflect on the lives of those Americans who throughout our history answered our nation’s call … with little promise of reward,” and to consider the freedoms secured by those sacrifices.
But his central message was forward-looking: “If you want to honor our veterans,” he said, “don’t remember them one day of the year. Commit to becoming a better citizen every day.”
He offered examples of service: volunteering at schools, participating in Special Olympics, mentoring at-risk youth, visiting VA hospital patients, helping at food banks, picking up trash along the river, and taking part in civic life, especially by voting.
By doing so, he said, communities can “make America that shining city on the hill once again,” and build “a Republic worthy of our veterans’ sacrifices.”
As the program ended, Hopkins thanked the speakers, the fifth-graders, the veterans, and the families — “the ones who served alongside service members, in their own way.”
Families lingered afterward, milling around the newly placed memorial stones, taking photos, and catching up with neighbors. Veterans shook hands with children who had marched in the parade minutes earlier. And though the temperature never rose much, the crowd remained attentive until the final “thank you.”
