On Friday, Chattanooga and Hamilton County honored the nation’s veterans and active duty military with an outstanding Armed Forces Day Parade coordinated by the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council. The parade — staged for the 75th continuous year — captured attention as the “oldest” Armed Forces Day Parade in the nation and garnered a visit from Grand Marshall Gen. James J. Mingus, vice chief of staff, U.S. Army.
From the early morning preparations to the performance of the largest mass Hamilton County band in history accompanied by a multitude of JROTC cadet units, civic groups and military servicemen and women whose service stretched from World War II to current active duty, it was a rousing, stirring tribute to those individuals who have served or serve our nation today in its fight for liberty.
And it all began in 1949. Jim Lindsey, writing for the Chattanooga Daily Times on April 7, headlined his parade report with “Army Receives City’s Tribute” and noted that school cadets and bands joined members of the Tennessee National Guard and former World War II servicemen, now reservists, in celebrating our nation’s military personnel. (An interesting note: A young Chattanooga High School student, now retired Brig. Gen. Carl Levi, USA, marched in that first parade and rode Friday in the 2024 parade as an honored veteran.)
The 1949 downtown parade route was lined by thousands of spectators and area businesses, who positioned flags outside their doors in tribute. Three 155-mm howitzers of the Tennessee National Guard’s 181st Regiment rumbled along the streets, capturing everyone’s attention, and were overshadowed only by the four planes of the Chattanooga unit Air National Guard that roared overhead, led by Maj. Ches Hogshead, commander, in an AT-6 Wolverine aircraft that seemed to skim the tops of nearby buildings.
Legionnaires of the Forty and Eight led the parade with their realistic replica of The General, a reminder of Chattanooga’s railroad history, associated with Andrew’s Raiders’ recognition as first Medal of Honor recipients. A large banner carried by veterans invited Chattanoogans to visit later that day the historic locomotive on display at the Union Station. The General was followed by a military honor guard comprised of John Bledsoe, Claude Branson, Jasper Martin and John Young. “Snappy Marine Corps reservists” under the command of Lt. Col. Tom Wert were “practically perfect” in the execution of their parade orders and featured Staff Sgts. Haskell Clark and Vernon Bailey, Cpl. C.C. Laymon, and Pfc. Edward Ramsey.