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Military honored in annual parade

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kali L. Gradishar
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  The 69th Annual Lilac Festival Armed Forces Torchlight Parade, themed "Here's to the Heroes," marched through downtown Spokane on the evening of May 19 as residents, visitors and fellow servicemembers crowded the sidewalks to watch.

Among the exhibits included a red convertible carrying Col. Scott Hanson, former 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander, and his family; a joint service honor guard; members from the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape school; a group of approximately 50 Airmen from various Fairchild units; a Fairchild float; and an assortment of other exhibits featuring some aspect of the armed forces.

There were also numerous school marching bands and cheerleading squads, horseback riders, antique cars and other floats, that added up to approximately 200 displays in the annual parade.

Downtown Spokane was crowded with an uncountable number of people present to support the parade participants. Cheers and applause erupted from the sidewalks, as spectators acknowledged the entries in the parade.

"There were so many people standing, applauding and waving," said Senior Airmen Cindy Phillips, 92nd ARW command chief executive assistant, also a grand marshal in the parade.

Four other Fairchild Airmen were selected as grand marshals for the parade in recognition of this year being the 60th Anniversary of the Air Force.

Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Jeffrey Neuberger, 92nd ARW chaplain; 1st Lt. Catherine Christ, 93rd Air Refueling Squadron KC-135 pilot; Tech. Sgt. Jacky McClain, 92nd Medical Support Squadron medical material craftsman; Staff Sgt. Juan Hernandez, 92nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron assistant flying crew chief; and Airman Phillips were chosen as grand marshals, a distinction typically saved for high-ranking officers.

"I thought of all the men and women who are currently deployed around the world, and I thought 'We are just a small team that represents so many great people in our military,'" said Airman Phillips. "I couldn't help but sit a little straighter and wave with even more pride. It was a great honor to represent so many great people."

The festival and parade have a notable history, dating back to 1938 when the first Lilac Festival was coordinated as a flower show and small parade, according to the Spokane Lilac Festival website.

After World War II, the third Saturday in May was designated Armed Forces Day in recognition of military servicemembers, for which a parade was also held. Two parades presented separately through the early fifties, but were combined into the Lilac Festival Armed Forces Parade in 1955. Later, a Thursday night Torchlight Parade combined with the weekend parade, creating the Lilac Festival Armed Forces Torchlight Parade, as it is called to this day.

(Information from the Spokesman Review and Lilac Festival websites was used in this story.)