A slow rumble began, pulling heads toward the sky just before 1 p.m. Tuesday.
The overhead planes swept past Montezuma Avenue and briefly reappeared in a missing-man formation to open Cortez’s Veterans Day parade.
People lined the streets Tuesday afternoon as veterans, students, members of law enforcement and community groups stepped out for the city’s long-standing event – a parade held for more than 20 years.
This year’s Veterans Day procession, organized and sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 75 Ute Mountain Post, began with a traditional flyover from Pagosa Springs pilots.
The parade route traveled east along Montezuma Avenue to Harrison Street and finished at the American Legion Hall, where a 2 p.m. lunch awaited veterans and their families.
Children gathered along the route, waving more than 100 small American flags and calling out cheers and thanks. Veterans exchanged salutes.
Organizer Doug Biehler said the day’s meaning is simple. “It’s just Veterans Day,” he said. “We do it to honor the veterans, but a lot of the veterans are participating, so we're celebrating our service to our country.”
Riding at the front of the procession, John Davis, quartermaster for Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5231 in Cortez and a Vietnam veteran, said the day stands distinct from other military holidays in the U.S., such as Memorial Day or Armed Forces Day.
“Veterans Day is a celebration of all veterans, living, past, future, all that stuff,” he said. “It’s a celebration rather than a somber moment.”
He said what comes to mind each year is how patriotic Montezuma County is.
“They’re happy to see us. They’re happy to congratulate us, and we’re happy to do this for the community to return that favor,” Davis said. “We, the veterans, are basically your neighbors, your co-workers, your church members. That's who we are.”
Two groups stand out most to Davis: young children and older veterans who still make it to the parade.
“The kids light up, especially when you're able to give them a little flag,” he said.
Davis added: “The older veterans that are sitting, too aged I guess you'd say to be able to stand through this whole thing. But you could tell they'll render salutes. It's a good day. It's a good day for all of us.”
Local participation remains steady each year. Participants, among others, included the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Montezuma-Cortez High School and Cortez Middle School marching bands, Battle Rock Charter School, the Escalante Shrine Club, and a string of classic cars that wrapped up the procession.
Police agencies in attendance included the Cortez Police Department, Fire Protection District and Colorado State Patrol.
Longtime organizer Mike Brunk, who served two tours in Vietnam, couldn’t attend because, as he said, “my hip wasn’t going to let me walk.” He turned the event over to Biehler after realizing he wouldn’t make it to town Tuesday.
Brunk has helped run the parade for years and said it stretches far back with previous organizers, such as John Shriner, who he said led 17 or 18 parades, and Rick Torres, who also organized it for many years before Brunk.
Brunk said organizers emphasize safety each year. “You don’t throw candy, you walk over to the curb and hand the candy to the kids,” he said.
Parents and families filled the streets, including local resident Sequoia Whiteskunk, who comes every year but attended especially this year to watch her sixth-grade son march and play percussion.
“My son is participating in the band,” she said. “I’m here to support him but also to honor those veterans as well.”
Supporting veterans, she said, is about “just showing up and doing anything that we can to help out, whether it’s donating, listening or giving them a place to be safe or express their feelings.”
The parade also drew teens involved in service organizations, including 15-year-old Sammy Morey, who marched with the Civil Air Patrol.
“Veterans Day to me means celebrating people that have served our country and have supported us in general and just giving a helping hand to people who have given so much to our community,” Morey said.
He said seeing the community show up every year is meaningful, because the parade commemorates “the sacrifices they made for our country.”
The Civil Air Patrol cadet program focuses on teaching youth about leadership. The program hosts search-and-rescue missions and other hands-on activities in aerospace, fitness and character-building exercises.
Even from home, Brunk said the parade carries a feeling that sticks with him. “I won’t say it was my pleasure, but it was definitely my privilege to serve over there,” he said.
