Photos by Erin Nelson.
Paradegoers watch as the 72nd annual Veterans Day Parade makes its way down 1st Avenue South in downtown Birmingham in November 2019.
Birmingham enjoys a special connection to Veterans Day, the national holiday celebrated each Nov. 11 to honor those who’ve served our country in the armed forces.
In 1954, after the lobbying efforts of Birmingham resident and World War II veteran Raymond Weeks, President Eisenhower signed a bill to rename Armistice Day — created in 1919 after the end of World War I — as Veterans Day.
The nation’s first Veterans Day celebration had already been held in the Magic City on Nov. 11, 1947, featuring a parade.
Birmingham’s Veterans Day Parade has continued and is the largest event of its type in the United States.
The parade was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. However, the event is back live and in person this year.
The 2021 National Veterans Day Parade will be held downtown on Thursday, Nov. 11, 1:30-4:30 p.m.
The annual National Veterans Award Dinner will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. at the Sheraton Downtown Birmingham.
Organizers are excited to stage the parade live this year for a couple of reasons, said Mark Ryan, president of the nonprofit National Veterans Day Foundation in Birmingham.
“It appears that we’re breaking out of the COVID grip that kept us for two years,” Ryan said.
“The other part is that it is a live parade, a live event, which is much more exciting than something that is virtual,” he said. “You can have people on the side of the street cheering our veterans on, and there is no replacement for that.”
Organizers are also glad to have the event back on its traditional route in the Central Business District.
The parade was held in Midtown and Parkside in 2018 and 2019 due to construction work on the Interstate 20/59 freeway bridges downtown.
“We appreciated … everyone accommodating us on the Southside, but the parade’s been on the Northside as long as I can remember,” Ryan said. “It’s a familiar route. You feel like you’re downtown, and people are able to come out of the office buildings.”
It’s also easier to stage the parade and get all of the participants in and out on the Northside, Ryan said.
The traditional route follows 19th Street from Eighth Avenue North to Fifth Avenue North, then east to 22nd Street and down to Second Avenue North. From there it proceeds west to 18th Street and back north to Sixth Avenue North.
In addition to the parade, the foundation hosts the National Veterans Award Dinner.
This year, the organization will honor service members who’ve participated in fighting COVID-19.
The award is typically given to a single veteran. However, since the pandemic began in early 2020, the country has asked “vets and first responders and doctors and nurses to go out and combat an enemy we know little about,” Ryan said.
“I don’t know of anything more brave than someone who can go out and combat the enemy when you don’t know how it will affect you in years to come,” he said.
The parade usually features Jeeps, trucks and armored personnel carriers, motorcycles, sports cars and other vehicles, as well as marching bands from local high schools and colleges.
However, until about mid-August, organizers were not sure if they would be able to hold the parade, Ryan said.
At press time, this delay had made it difficult for the foundation to know how many entries the parade will have.
“I’m not sure if we will have a full slate of 3,500-5,000 participants because there are still some people who can’t get out due to COVID,” Ryan said.
At least a few World War II and Korean War veterans have taken part in the parade in recent years. However, the pandemic makes that more difficult.
“The safety of those vets absolutely comes first,” Ryan said. “We have to leave that to each individual and their families.”
If those veterans are unable to attend, they can watch the parade, which the foundation will broadcast on their website and on YouTube.
“They will get the message that we love and appreciate them,” Ryan said.
The parade has traditionally drawn as many as 80,000 spectators, but Ryan is reluctant to estimate this year’s attendance.
“I could not even begin to guess how many spectators we will have, but … we are just excited to get our participants on the street and the spectators on the side to watch them,” Ryan said.
“We will just let it unfold as it unfolds, and then move to preparing for next year, which will be our 75th anniversary,” he said.
Ryan, a Trussville businessman, is not a veteran but grew up in a military family.
He believes Birmingham residents should take Veterans Day seriously, even apart from the city’s strong historical role in the holiday.
“It is absolutely imperative that we take at least one day out of the year and stop what we are doing and show the vets — and the active duty military, as well — that they are appreciated for keeping the nation safe and secure,” Ryan said.
For more information, call 205-942-5300 or go to nationalveteransday.org.
