Veterans and neighbors gather to honor Memorial Day in Ann Arbor

Neighbors, children and plenty of pets lined the streets between Greenbrier Park and Glacier Hills Park to cheer on the veterans and other marchers in the Glacier Area Homeowners Association annual Memorial Day Parade.

The veterans were joined in the parade by two fire trucks, a police escort, the Huron High School Drum Line, local Boy and Girl Scout troops, antique cars and several city council members and candidates.

Event chair Kirk Westphal said the crowd of approximately 400 people was the largest he has seen at the march, which ended with a ceremony honoring the American flag, veterans and fallen soldiers.

“There’s documentation that the neighborhood march goes back to 1968,” he said.

“Continuously, it’s probably been running closer to 38 years. You miss a year every now and then for various reasons, but it’s a great part of being in this community.”

Ya Shiou lives on the parade route and says she hasn’t missed a parade since she moved into the area in 1973. A native of China, Shiou said her favorite part of the march is watching the neighborhood children enjoy themselves and participate in the event.

According to an unscientific poll of children at the event, the runaway favorite attraction was the two fire trucks. Tying for second place were the drum line and the ability to follow the parade on bikes and roller blades.

As the age of attendees who were polled increased, the focus turned more to the historical meaning of the holiday. Cadet Girl Scout Morgan Gallimore from Troop 41443 has attended the parade with the scouts for the last four years. She enjoys the sights and sounds, but paid special attention to the ceremony at the end of the march, which included a marching of the flag and reading of names of soldiers killed in the line of duty.

“I like marching and seeing the veterans,” she said. “We’re here because we like to respect them and honor the flag. The ceremony where we salute the flag as it goes past is an important part.”

Other attendees, like World War II veteran Staff Sgt. George Bigelow, had personal connections to those who died while serving in the American Armed Forces. Bigelow was on a ship that was torpedoed in the English Channel while bound for the Battle of the Bulge on Christmas Eve in 1944.

Bigelow said that 800 men were lost when the ship sank that night, and he had a near-death experience before he made it out alive.

“As I was floating up in the water I saw what looked like a 9-inch television screen playing the happiest moments of my life. Of course I didn’t know what to call it then because TVs hadn’t even been invented yet,” he said.

“That calmed me down and I was able to float peacefully up and come out of the water before I drowned.”

Once he reached the surface, Bigelow grabbed hold of the nearest piece of wood he could find and held on for dear life. Drifting in and out of consciousness, he was eventually rescued by a tugboat that had come to find survivors.

“When I woke up the next day, the Red Cross came to give me basic supplies like toothbrush and toothpaste,” he said. “That was probably the best Christmas ever.”

Bigelow said parades and marches are important for the community because remembering will become more difficult as time passes.

“It’s great for people to remember and pay tribute,” he said. “I’m the only one left of my squad and it’s important not to forget the sacrifices that were made.”

Once the ceremony concluded, many participants and observers stayed to write cards to soldiers, mingle and enjoy popsicles provided by the Ann Arbor Breakfast Optimists Club. There was also a station at the park for children to write letters that will be sent to active duty soldiers.

Ben Freed covers business for AnnArbor.com. You can sign up here to receive Business Review updates every week. Reach out to Ben at 734-623-2528 or email him at benfreed@annarbor.com. Follow him on twitter @BFreedinA2.