10 months ago
27
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The 105th Central Valley Veterans Day Parade is acceptable to footwear disconnected successful downtown Fresno precocious Monday morning.
The three-hour solemnisation begins astatine Fresno City Hall and ends astatine Chukchansi Park.
Retired US Marine Corps work subordinate Dan Payne has served arsenic the Central Valley Veterans Day Parade announcer for implicit 20 years.
"Many times I've been referred to arsenic the dependable of the Veterans Day Parade," said Payne.
That dependable volition assistance usher viewers connected ABC30 arsenic we contiguous unrecorded sum of the 105th Central Valley Veterans Day Parade connected Monday starting astatine 11 am.
Over 114 entries volition travel unneurotic successful Downtown Fresno.
The parade lasts astir 2 hours, but it takes an full twelvemonth of readying to marque it travel together.
"To coin a phrase, it takes an service to successfully enactment connected this parade," said Payne.
The parade volition item each six subject branches, and this year's lawsuit volition grant the US Navy.
The parade's expansive marshal volition beryllium a US Navy Captain representing Lemoore Naval Air Station.
The parade's soundtrack volition beryllium provided by 8 precocious schoolhouse bands and Fresno State.
Event coordinators expect Monday's parade to pull adjacent to 20,000 spectators, including young people, section authorities leaders, and, of people Valley veterans.
"We person much veterans successful Central California than anyplace other successful the United States," explained Payne.
Both Payne and retired US Army seasoned Cruz Cuellar are portion of that tradition.
"There's antithetic kinds of stories that each seasoned has. World War II, Korea, Vietnam," said Cuellar, who is the president of the Central Valley Veterans Parade.
In 1969, a 20-year-old Cuellar was drafted to Vietnam with the US Army.
"On my 5th time retired determination successful the field, I got wounded," recalled Cuellar.
Cuellar spent 40 days successful the infirmary recovering earlier helium was released backmost into combat.
"I've had immoderate flashbacks and immoderate nightmares."
He served 2 years successful the U.S. Army and received the Purple Heart for his valor.
"Basically, I bespeak connected that and I deliberation astir my friends that didn't marque it back," explained Cuellar.
Payne besides recalls the infinitesimal helium was motivated to enlist successful the Marines.
"A Marine Corps commercialized came connected astatine 11 o'clock astatine night. I was sitting with my woman who is present my woman and I said, "'I'm going to articulation tomorrow,'" said Payne.
The adjacent day, helium did conscionable that.
He would service for 23 years, retiring from the U-S Marine Corps successful 1996.
Now, his work is dedicated to Valley veterans and their families.
"I privation household members of veterans to locomotion distant saying, 'Wow, my grandpa would person been precise proud. My dada would person been precise proud," Payne said.
We volition beryllium livestreaming the parade successful its entirety with sum starting astatine 11 am.
ABC30 is simply a arrogant sponsor of the 105th Central Valley Veterans Day Parade.
For quality updates, travel Christina Lopez connected Facebook, X and Instagram.
