One of the Nation’s Most Recognized Veterans
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth will be the keynote speaker for the 10th annual South Side Memorial Day Parade. An Iraq War Veteran, Purple Heart recipient and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Duckworth will join fellow veterans and grand marshals, George Saffold and James Dixon–who served in the Vietnam War–Maynard Welch, who served in the Korean War and Lolita Godbold. Like her fellow grand marshals, she also is an Army veteran.
In an effort to honor the veterans living in the 17th Ward and throughout the city, Alderman David Moore began the South Side Memorial Day Parade a decade ago at the urging of Commander Robert Davis. Commander Davis served in the United States Navy from 1951 to 1955. The 81-year-old died last year. In his honor, Ald. Moore is renaming the parade. To mark the 10th anniversary, the parade will be known as the Commander Robert Davis South Side Memorial Day Parade.
As the home to St. Leo’s Campus for Veterans, where the parade begins each year with a wreath laying ceremony, Auburn Gresham was a natural site to hold the South Side event in honor of the brave men and women who served in our nation’s armed forces.
Senator Duckworth, a former Blackhawk helicopter pilot, knows all too well what it means for veterans to have their sacrifices not taken for granted.
“I’m so pleased Senator Duckworth is going to be a part of this year’s parade. It’s important to recognize all veterans,” says Moore. “Agreeing to be our keynote speaker shows the senator’s awareness of the pivotal role Black veterans have served in all of our nation’s wars.”
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