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Veterans Day Parade, set for TODAY, Downtown Bend

BEND, Ore. – Bend’s 20th annual Veterans Day Parade will roll again through downtown Bend this Veterans Day, Monday, Nov. 11 at 11.a.m.   This is Central Oregon Veterans Outreach’s (COVO) second year as the Producer of our town’s traditional Veterans Day parade, touted as one of the State of Oregon’s largest parades.

For the second year parade title sponsors are Gary Gruner Chevrolet Buick GMC and Mid Oregon Credit Union.

“Our celebration is a mirror of thousands of communities across this nation that have parades for our veteran heroes,” says J.W. Terry, Executive Director, Central Oregon Veterans Outreach.  “We are committed to ensure the parade continues every year to thank all veterans for their service.”

This year’s theme is ‘Saluting our Women Veterans’.  Grand Marshals are women whose military service spans the decades.  Iola Shoemaker, Army, World War Two; Irene Richardson, Navy, Korean War; Suci Sonnier, Air Force, Operation Desert Storm; Kristin Gyford, Air Force, Persian Gulf Era; Pam Mindt, Army, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Every year the Civil Air Patrol starts of the parade with a flyover at 11 a.m. sharp.  This year the flyover will be in honor of Bob Maxwell, Bend’s own Medal of Honor Veteran who passed away in May 2019.  The Maxwell family provided Bob Maxwell’s Band of Brothers hat for Major Mike Wissing to have in the plane.  “Bob will still be with us this Veterans day, and to be able to do this flyover in memory of this great man is an honor”, stated Major Wissing.

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