ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis parade welcoming home Iraq war and other post-Sept. 11 veterans was such a hit that other cities across the country are considering similar celebrations.
Organizers of the parade, which drew an estimated 100,000 observers and 20,000 participants in St. Louis on Jan. 28, said Friday that they have been approached by people from Denver, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Seattle, Tucson, Nashville, Tenn., Greensboro, N.C., and Clinton, Iowa.
“The revolution for America to rally in support of our troops has just begun,” said Tom Appelbaum, who along with his friend Craig Schneider came up with the idea for the St. Louis parade and pulled it off within a month.
The St. Louis parade was the first major event honoring post-Sept. 11 veterans since the war in Iraq ended in December. Now, organizers in other cities are tapping into their expertise.
Alan Toppel, a 79-year-old retired businessman from Tucson, was in St. Louis on Friday to gather information on organizing a similar parade.
Toppel said he has received a positive response from civic leaders. He will meet with city officials next week and is moving toward the goal of hosting a parade by the end of March.
