'There's no place like home:' Jim Putney, Savannah's Veterans Day parade grand marshal
James Putney said to be chosen as the grand marshal for Savannah's annual Veterans Day parade is, "quite rewarding."
"It does let you know that some of the work you've done is being appreciated," Putney said.
Putney, a native of Savannah, has been retired from active duty in the military for 30 yeas. He's been in the American Legion and working with and for veterans for the past decade. He is the commander for Post 500, the first African American Legion in the state of Georgia.
"I was blessed when I went in, in 1972, to not do any wartime," Putney said. "I did 20 years of peacetime, went to several countries abroad and quite a few stateside cities, and did construction work, both combat and construction engineering."
Putney said his favorite location was Panama, because it was just like Savannah, in some ways and home is very important to him.
"If I succeed or if I fail, what better place to do it in than at home, and there's no place quite like home," Putney said. "I grew up here, people know me here."
Putney dedicates most of his time to children and veterans. He said the time he spends with veterans is important because he wants to better inform them of all of their benefits.
"We still got guys that have been out for you know 25-35 years that still receive no benefits for the things that happened to them," Putney said. "And we need to make sure they know that."
For children, he wants to keep them out of the streets and instead help them find things to do that are meaningful.
"I have no room to complain about what they're doing, if I make no effort to stop them from killing people or other things," Putney said. "So, I do things to try and curb some of that."
Joe Higgins, chairman of the Veteran's Council of Chatham County said that a combination of Putney's work for veteran's, the youth and the community led him to choose him as the grand marshal.
"It was really a no-brainer when thinking of who to choose to be the grand marshal," Higgins said. "I thought it was high time to recognize him for the work he's done."
The Veterans Day parade begins at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, at the intersection of Abercorn and Gwinnett Streets. As part of the celebrations, the city will line Broughton Street with special flags that once draped the caskets of fallen soldiers. More information about the parade can be found here.
Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for Chatham County municipalities for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at dambus@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Meet the grand marshal for Savannah's 2023 Veterans Day parade
