[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish holds Veterans' Ceremony and Parade

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish holds Veterans’ Ceremony and Parade 

Veterans and relatives of deployed active duty military march 

 

Veterans gathered for a Veterans’ Recognition Ceremony at the Veterans
Monument in front of the Sigur Civic Center in Chalmette last week. After
the ceremony, veterans, relatives of deployed active duty military and
others marched down West Judge Perez Drive in the first Veterans Parade
since Hurricane Katrina. 

 

Lt. General Russel L. Honoré, US Army (Ret), who led Task Force Katrina in
the aftermath of the devastating hurricanes that struck the Gulf Coast in
the summer of 2005, served as the keynote speaker. He commended the veterans
of all conflicts, even including Hurricane Katrina and the recent BP Oil
Spill as two of our region’s recent epic struggles, and he told the audience
to continue to persevere like sheep dogs, which are always known as the
strong dogs who lead the way literally protecting the sheep as resilient
fighters though their roles are often unappreciated. He also encouraged
citizens to support a strong and well-funded military.

 

President Taffaro and Parish Council members Ray Lauga and Frank Auderer
read the names of local Veterans. Auderer and Councilman George Cavignac
also were recognized as veterans. Council Chairman Wayne J. Landry and state
Rep. Reed Henderson attended as well. Those veterans who attended stood in
honor at the monument by the military branch they served in. President
Taffaro expanded last year’s event to include the parade and fed the
veterans breakfast at a local restaurant after the parade.

 

“We'll continue to grow the ceremony and parade as a sign of our commitment
to our veterans,” President Taffaro said. 



The ceremony included patriotic music provided by the Chalmette High School
Marching Band, which performed in the parade along with the Chalmette High
Cheerleaders. Col. David Dysart, who serves as St. Bernard Parish Chief
Administrative Officer, led the Pledge of Allegiance, and St. Bernard Parish
Council Assistant Melissa May lead the ceremony by singing the National
Anthem. Bonnie Cook of the Francois deLery Chapter of the Daughters of the
American Revolution, who helped with the development of the monument, was
the mistress of ceremonies.

 

The St. Bernard Parish Government Events Committee coordinated the ceremony
and parade. The following also assisted in the event: Bonnie Cook of DAR,
Murphy Oil USA, the St. Bernard Chapter of the American Red Cross and the
St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce.

 

###