The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the Gateway City was living up to its reputation Saturday. A homegrown parade honored Iraq War veterans as the first major event of its kind in a large American city. Troops and their families were moved to tears by the support of their neighbors and complete strangers who showed up to honor the sacrifices of troops returning home.
St. Louis gave American soldiers the hero's welcome home they truly deserve.
* Around 600 veterans from St. Louis and across the region participated in the parade. The Associated Press states many of them were dressed in camouflage as they walked the parade route through downtown St. Louis.
* The parade was organized by two local men. Attorney Tom Appelbaum and St. Charles School District technology coordinator Craig Schneider got the idea several months ago. The two began raising money and talking to city leaders to plan a parade route. Ultimately, the event succeeded beyond their expectations.
* As many as 100 organizations signed up to be in the parade including veteran's groups, civic organizations and biker groups.
* Appelbaum and Schneider raised around $35,000 for the St. Louis parade. They hope to continue their efforts to other large cities in the U.S. Two charities, The Mission Continues and The Welcome Home Foundation will continue the work started in Missouri.
* Fire trucks and police departments also took part in the parade to honor the troops coming home. The Iraq War officially ended Dec. 15, according to CNN. The last American troops left the Middle Eastern country a week later following a formal ceremony. The Iraq War began in March 2003.
* The fundraising goal of The Mission Continues and The Welcome Home Foundation is $7 million in the next seven days. The organizations hope philanthropists, corporations and individuals will come forward and donate money to support veterans' service organizations.
* The Mission Continues challenges post-9/11 veterans to perform community service with six-month fellowships in their communities. The Welcome Home Foundation supports other veterans' organizations in the United States. Donations to the organizations are split between the two groups.
* The parade in St. Louis was believed to be the first "welcome home" parade of its kind for the Iraq War. Even so, many soldiers will be re-deployed to Afghanistan where over 91,000 American troops are still stationed and fighting an active war against terrorists and insurgents. The war in Afghanistan has been ongoing since October 2001 when Operation Enduring Freedom began with heavy bombing of targets in the Asian nation.
William Browning, a lifelong Missouri resident, writes about local and state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Born in St. Louis, Browning earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Missouri. He currently resides in Branson.
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