TUESDAY, MAY 30, 2000
Veterans, citizens honor fallen heroes
By Michelle Reiter
Staff Writer
War veterans, Cold War veterans, military veterans and reserves of all branches turned up in Monday's Memorial Day Parade .
The parade, attended by more than 250 people, was led by veterans in full uniform, bearing flags of their respective services. Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Army soldiers walked side by side down Washington Street showing respect for the country they all served in one way or another.
Veterans, their children and grandchildren could all be seen either marching in the parade or cheering loved ones from the sidewalks.
Not to be outdone, other members of the community showed up to pay their respects too -- and no less finely dressed.
The Tiffin Hornets, the local branch of Zenobia Shriners, rode their trademark tiny bicycles in circles through the parade dressed in uniform red jackets and tasseled caps.
Equally dazzling were the Star Brite Twirlers and their baton-twirling counterparts. Dressed in sequined leotards or uniform shorts and shirts, girls and boys from about four or five to high school age stole the show as their marched with batons or, for the boys, rifles in tow.
And if that weren't enough, home-grown royalty graced the holiday procession:
Heather Goshe, the Tiffin Heritage Festival junior princess, led fellow royals Megan Kiesel, dairy princess, and Dawn Faeth, pork queen, through the crowd as each waved at her crowd of attentive subjects.
Several other veterans' floats were present, including a recreation of the famous World War II statue showing soldiers putting up the American flag at Iwo Jima.
Armored military vehicles followed, some driven and others displayed on trucks.
Bringing up the rear were representatives of the county sheriff's office, the local fire departments and the EMS squads.
But one thing was for sure, whether in reserve units, war veterans or local community servants, people in uniform were everywhere.
Those veterans who weren't marching with their peers in the parade stood at proud attention in the crowd, and were just as much the center of attention on the day that honored their sacrifices.