Less than a week after the "Welcome Home the Heroes" parade in downtown St. Louis, organizers have issued challenges to other cities to do the same. KSDK reports the huge parade down Market Street was a huge success and other cities would like to show similar parades to veterans of the Iraq War who have come home from serving overseas.
The reasons why the parade has caught the attention of other cities are many fold.
* Organizers Tom Appelbaum and Craig Schneider, both St. Louis residents, organized the parade in just one month's time. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch states the parade was held Jan. 28 with sunny weather.
* There was an estimated attendance of 100,000 people along the downtown route. Around 20,000 people marched in the parade as part of military attachments or units there to show support for the troops. Civic organizations such as fire and police departments were also a part of the parade. Even the famous Budweiser Clydesdales were a part of the occasion.
* Bands also participated in the parade. Musical selections were patriotic in theme, including "God Bless America."
* Reuters reports the parade was organized over 30 days and was paid for by small donations totaling around $40,000. The parade was billed as the first major event to honor troops who had come home from serving in Iraq after the nine-year war ended.
* Other cities interested in hosting similar parades include Chicago; Denver; San Francisco; Philadelphia; San Antonio, Texas; Oklahoma City; Seattle; Tucson, Ariz.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Greensboro, N.C. The Washington Post adds Clinton, Iowa, to the list of cities interested as well.
* The Welcome Home Foundation issued a "City to City" challenge to organize similar parades. Organizers have spoken to civic leaders from other cities to give their impressions and ideas for how the parade idea evolved. One major step included asking for donations through Facebook and other social media websites.
* San Diego is another city that may take up the challenge. A city with a large military presence of Marines and Navy sailors, San Diego's Home Post on NPR states local military band members are supporting the idea of having a parade in the southern California city.
* The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has started an online petition to get parades across the nation. Over 11,500 people have signed the petition which is trying to encourage the mayors of Boston and New York to hold huge parades in honor of war veterans. Both cities are the home sites for the contenders of Super Bowl XLVI.
William Browning, a lifelong Missouri resident, writes about local and state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Born in St. Louis, Browning earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Missouri. He currently resides in Branson.
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