BIDDEFORD — Everyone, it seemed, from little children to senior citizens clutched American flags, waving them as the 2022 Veterans Day Parade made its way from Main Street in Saco down over York Hill and across the bridge to Biddeford.

It was a pretty day — almost summerlike — with sunshine and temperatures in the low 70s.

It was a day to honor veterans — those who served and came home — and those who served and never made it back.

There were veterans, police officers and firefighters in big red fire engines, Girl and Boy Scouts, three marching bands and more.

People lined the streets to pay their respects and then paused for a ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park on Alfred Street in Biddeford. It was the first-in person Veterans Day commemoration since 2019, as the COVID-19 pandemic meant video ceremonies in 2020 and 2021.

Colonel Jen Fullmer, USAF ret., former vice commander of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, who clocked 2,500 flight hours in the B-1 Bomber, including 90 combat missions over Afghanistan and Iraq during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom from 2001 to 2014, was parade grand marshal.

“When you say thank you to a veteran for their service, have you thought about what you are thanking them for?” Fullmer asked those assembled.

Veterans should be thanked for signing up to serve, she said, whatever the reason that prompted them to do so.

“Thank them for taking that step and making the commitment,” Fullmer said, “for standing to support the Constitution of the United States. …”

“Thank those who took a bullet for me and for my right to vote, for freedom of speech, for freedom of religion and other precious freedoms,” she said.

Fullmer noted that fewer than 1 percent of the nation’s population serves in the country’s all-volunteer military,  and that the more than 99 percent of those not serving need to do their part.

“We hear a lot on the media about rights, but little about responsibility,” said Fullmer.

The emcee for the ceremony was Saco City Councilor Nathan Johnson, who served in the U.S. Marines. He thanked all who had a role in organizing and carrying out the day’s events.

“Today, we honor our veterans … we pray you will bless them, Lord,” intoned Chaplain Michael A. McInnis, of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Pam Payeur, director of the Wounded Heroes Program of Maine, assisted by her grandson Jonathan, 8, laid a wreath at the memorial.

Fullmer concluded with a thought about what life might be like if the freedoms Americans enjoy were lost, noting that citizens should be grateful for what the members of the armed services have done to preserve those freedoms.

“When you shake a veteran’s hand today, look them in the eye and give them a heartfelt thank you,” she said.

Comments are not available on this story.

« Previous

Biddeford Regional Center of Technology to expand, add programs

Next »

Biddeford police say no one injured following reports of shots fired