In Denver this Memorial Day, for the first time in 85 years, there will be no Memorial Day Parade. The city informed the event organizer, the Denver United Veterans Council, that it wanted more control over the event. The group could not agree to the new conditions.
The administration said it wants to avoid unnecessary competition with Commerce City’s Memorial Day Parade. Yet, municipalities across the metro region have concurrent celebrations for other holidays, such as Independence Day.
Denver has unique connections to the military. The U.S. Air Force Academy began at Lowry Air Force Base. The oldest Veterans of Foreign Wars, VFW Post 1, is here. Denver is home to thousands of veterans and military families. Many of us are connected to someone who served or is serving in the military and too many know someone who died.
Earlier this month, I traveled to Washington, D.C., for a West Point classmate promotion to lieutenant colonel. The ceremony took place in the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon, a space dedicated to more than 3,460 Medal of Honor recipients. I found myself reading the names of those who served during the war on terrorism and typed the name “SFC Paul R. Smith, Iraq” on my phone so I could read about the valor that earned him such a prestigious honor.
According to his Medal of Honor citation, Sergeant First Class (SFC) Smith’s unit was violently attacked by a company-sized enemy force. SFC Smith quickly organized a defense of two platoons and braved hostile fire to engage the enemy with hand grenades and anti-tank weapons. He organized the evacuation of three wounded soldiers from an armored personnel carrier that was struck by a rocket propelled grenade and a 60 mm mortar round. Under withering enemy fire, SFC Smith manned a .50-caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier and maintained his exposed position to engage the attacking enemy force. He was mortally wounded during his fight to save others.
As Memorial Day approaches, I think about SFC Smith and the countless others who came before him — in our generation, our parents’, our grandparents’ and those before them — men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. I served in Iraq from 2003 to 2004, and it could easily have been my unit that came under fire. I was fortunate, but many others, like SFC Smith, did not return home to their loved ones.
Denver should not allow Memorial Day to pass without public recognition and expressions of gratitude to those who gave their lives for our freedom. The Memorial Day Parade is that opportunity.
The Denver United Veterans Council disbanded last year, so it’s important to identify another organization willing to pick up and carry the torch in coming years.
For SFC Smith and all those like him, let’s come together to honor our fallen. Let’s bring back Denver’s Memorial Day Parade.
Chris Herndon (christopher.herndon@denvergov.org) is president of the Denver City Council. He is a West Point graduate and Army veteran.
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