40,000 expected for Veterans Day parade

In one of the nation's largest Veterans Day parades, more than 40,000 spectators are expected to watch 120 entries march and roll Thursday through downtown Las Vegas.

The annual parade kicks off at 10 a.m. along Fourth Street from Hoover Avenue to Stewart Avenue.

The event is sponsored by the Las Vegas Veterans Day Parade Committee with support from Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1753, Las Vegas and Clark County.

"We're the largest parade west of the Mississippi. We have entrants from California and Arizona," said Bill Stojack, this year's committee chairman.

More than 30 severely wounded troops from nation's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq will be at the front of the parade along with their families. They'll follow the color guard past the reviewing stand at Ogden Avenue and Fourth Street.

Stojack said the group, sponsored by the Stars and Stripes Foundation, is from the Warrior Transition Program at Fort Irwin, Calif.

In all, more than 5,000 veterans of the U.S. military, including some who served in World War II, will participate.

Downtown streets will be closed between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday along the parade route and staging area at Coolidge Avenue. At 8 a.m. all side streets that intersect with Fourth Street will be closed.

After the parade at 1:30 p.m., the Nevada Office of Veteran Services will honor all who served in a ceremony at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City.

In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of what was called Armistice Day, primarily to honor World War I veterans on the anniversary of the armistice that ended the war in 1918 at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

An act of Congress on May 13, 1938 made Nov. 11 a legal holiday each year dedicated to world peace.

In 1954 after the Korean War, veterans service organizations persuaded Congress to amend the 1938 act by striking the word "Armistice" and inserting "Veterans" in its place to honor U.S. veterans of all wars.

Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@review journal.com or 702-383-0308.