Members of the community lined Main Street this morning for a Memorial Day tradition.
The sun was shining bright for the 2019 edition of the Lima Memorial Day Parade. Many came out to see the 49 different groups that took part in this year’s holiday parade.
Although Memorial Day is a time to remember those who have served the United States but did not return home, Lima honored those people that helped many make it home. The Grand Marshalls this year were veterans who were corpsman, medics, or nurses.
Lima Senior graduate and Air Force medic, Charles O’Dell was one of the many recognized.
"We are thrilled," O'Dell said. "We are thrilled but the ones that we really are recognizing are the ones that we couldn’t save. Those that have past on before us."
Among the Grand Marshalls were an Air Force nurse and a 92-year-old veteran who served in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam. Steve Montgomery of the Allen County Veteran’s Council said their responsibilities in the field could not go unnoticed.
"Just like on the battlefield," said Montgomery, vice president of the council. "There’s only one for every 40 or 50 people. They didn’t get recognized, but they were what kept us alive. The ones that were out in the field. Now I never had to have--use their services because I was in a helicopter. But we picked up some of the people that they got stabilized and took them to a place where they could be taken care of."
Montgomery said the council is already looking ahead to next years parade as they plan to have veterans of the most recent wars as their Grand Marshalls.
