The parade they didn’t have

Holidays are busy for journalists. For example, we don’t get the day off for the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, or Labor Day. But working on Veterans Day is a privilege because for the past two years, I’ve spent that holiday morning in a room full of Vietnam, Korean, and a select few WWII Veterans. In fact, last year I had the honor of interviewing a 102-year-old man who fought in WWII, and on Wednesday, I interviewed a Veteran who turned 96 this week. When I approached him in the museum where the event was taking place, his back was to me; he stood still, balanced on his cane, observing the war relics preserved behind a wall of glass. We were surrounded by display cases that held moments from his past, frozen in time, and there’s something to be said for the juxtaposition of the aged soldier and the timeless objects. But all I’ll say is that it pointed to the significance of journalism—of record-keeping and storytelling — so his chapter in time will not be forgotten.

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