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Veterans honored at 105th Warsaw Veterans Day Parade

Veterans honored at 105th Warsaw Veterans Day Parade

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WARSAW — There was a patriotic feeling in the chilly fall morning air as the 105th North Carolina Veterans Day Parade got underway Saturday morning in downtown Warsaw. The parade followed a veteran’s memorial service held in Veterans Park.

The event is the oldest continuous veteran’s celebration in the United States and was named the official North Carolina Veteran’s Day Parade by the N.C. General Assembly in 2016.

The color guard from the Tarheel Challenge Academy presents the flag at the start of the 105th North Carolina Veterans Day Parade in downtown Warsaw — the nation’s oldest continuous Veterans Day celebration. Mark Grady for Duplin Journal

The parade was the highlight the day’s events which featured 140 units participating this year, including floats, a composite marching band from Duplin high schools, JROTC units from James Kenan High School and East Duplin High School, as well as military vehicles, a large array of fire trucks, beauty queens and the always favorite collections of cars, clowns and a drum and bugle corps from area Shriners. The parade kicked off with a low-altitude flyover by aircraft from the N.C. Forest Service based at the Duplin County Airport in Kenansville and the arrival of the flag from a skydiving flag bearer.

The colors arrive in a very patriotic style, from the air, just before the start of the 105th North Carolina Veterans Day Parade in downtown Warsaw. Mark Grady for Duplin Journal

After the parade, the stage at Veterans Park became the site of various musical acts, including the George Sisters, Preparation, Paula Waters and Evan Garris. It also featured the comedy of Cista Lueeeze.

The Duplin County Veterans Museum was opened for tours after the parade.