written by Kendra Gravelle
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Jim Haldeman gets choked up whenever he thinks about how it feels to be recognized during the Veterans Day parade each year.
“To walk down and have those people down there toward the end that are clapping for you,” Haldeman said Monday, emotional as he recalled the array of feelings the event incites, “it’s the most rewarding thing.”
This year’s Veterans Day parade will kick off at 1 p.m. on Nov. 11 and will also commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. As he prepares for the big day, Haldeman, who will act as the parade Master of Ceremonies, is determined to get as many veterans involved as possible.
“I don’t care if they did two years or 32,” Haldeman said. “But I think what concerns me most of all is, I don’t think they know they’re invited [to march].”
Haldeman has noticed over the years a lack of veteran participation in the parade and said he worries that it may be due to the fact that there are no explicit invitations distributed.
Haldeman added that while some 30 veterans typically march each year, he also tends to spot at least a couple dozen veterans watching the parade from the sidewalks lining the parade route.
“They’re standing on the sidelines,” he continued, “with their hats that say ‘USMC,’ or ‘Navy,’ or ‘Coast Guard.’ They’re standing there, and you look at them, and they salute you, and I tell them, ‘this is your parade.’”
Haldeman acknowledged Monday that walking in the parade can be tough, stirring up all sorts of emotions. For Haldeman, memories of the 40 Marines he saw killed during his 23 years in the Marine Corps are often brought up. He also mourns the suicides of veterans he’s known during the walk.
“The hardest part is to think back on the lives of the friends that I’ve lost,” he said. “There are some true heroes who are no longer with us, and that’s the hardest part for me.”
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But to walk alongside others who’ve shared some of your experiences is special, Haldeman added.
“It’s tough to walk that [parade route] and be thanked,” he continued. “We all know the sacrifice that not just we made, but that our families made. But I think every one of those guys that are out there on the sidelines need to come and feel the way that I do.”
With the centennial of the end of WWI, Haldeman added he’s more resolute this year than any other to have other veterans join.
Veterans interested in participating are welcome to meet at Old Mountain Lanes at noon on Sunday, Nov. 11, an hour ahead of the parade. The parade route is about a mile, running from Holly Street to Saugatucket Park, and there are vehicles available to transport veterans who don’t wish to walk.
“This is for them,” Haldeman continued Monday. “It’s for them to be able to walk down and get the tear in their eyes that I get every time I walk down.”