Marshall County Magistrate Zachary Allman hopes the streets of Moundsville are lined with the community for the new rendition of the Veterans Day parade in Moundsville. (Photo Provided)

MOUNDSVILLE — Veterans will walk together down Jefferson Avenue for the first time in more than 50 years to celebrate Veterans Day during the new rendition of the Marshall County Veterans Parade.

Marshall County Magistrate Zachary Allman, who served in the U.S. Army in Iraq from 2000-04, decided to restart the parade after attending Dallas, West Virginia’s Memorial Day celebration this year.

“Dallas has this huge, community-based celebration where all these families come together and celebrate veterans with this beautiful parade,” Allman said. “I had never been to the event before and was so inspired. I told everyone last year at the Memorial Day service in Moundsville, ‘We need to step up our game.'”

Allman noted that Moundsville’s last Veterans Day Parade was in the 1960s, and he is still trying to track down the exact day of the last celebration from local historians. With the county’s “huge population” of veterans, it “only made sense” to Allman to bring them together to celebrate their brothers-in-arms’ sacrifices.

Local historian Gary Riders has helped Allman organize the service, along with collaboration from local veterans groups. Veterans organizations that have committed to walking into the parade include Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and the Moundsville Veterans Honor Guard.

In addition to the local veteran community supporting the parade, Allman noted that local school bands and dance teams will also be walking in it.

“This parade is one of those things where we have one year to make it great because if it’s not and no one shows up, we’re probably going to have to wait another 60 years before we try it again,” Riders noted. “It’s kind of make or break at this point, but we’re getting great feedback, not only from the veteran community but the general community as well, who want to support this and make it a great thing.”

The parade lineup will begin at noon on Nov. 9 in front of the West Virginia Penitentiary. At 2 p.m., the group will begin its procession northbound on Jefferson Avenue to Second Street, where it will end.

Dave Schoenian, Moundsville Veterans Honor Guard Member and Vietnam War veteran, will be one local veteran participating in the parade. He applauded Allman’s endeavor to start the parade again, adding he was excited to see “efforts to keep patriotism alive” in the area.

“He’s [Allman] trying to start a tradition that faded away over the years and was never picked back up,” Schoenian said. “All the little towns in the valley used to have Veterans Day parades and Fourth of July parades. This young man is a patriot and wants to see these patriotic endeavors return, and I don’t blame him.”

Allman labeled being a veteran as “one of the greatest parts” of his life, noting the connection and bond he has found with the local veteran community. Though he may be younger than many of the members of local veterans organizations, Allman noted the importance of being present with the organizations and attempting to be a leader in the community.

“Our service is a bond that we all share,” Allman said. “I remember when I came back from the war, and we landed in Bangor, Maine, and the entire runway was lined with World War Two, Vietnam War and Desert Storm veterans just waiting for us to show up so they could shake our hand and welcome us home.

“Although we didn’t serve in the same ways, we all have different experiences and served all over the globe,” Allman continued. “We share that common bond of service, and there’s nothing like shared suffering that brings people together, as well as the bond we have of service and pride in our country.”

Allman added that Marshall County’s veteran community was especially “prideful.” He hopes the strong bond among local veterans and their “pride in the country” will be reflected at the parade.

“I encourage veterans to come out with their family members so they can be recognized for their contributions,” Allman said. “I want our entire community to come out too and see them waving their American flags up and down Jefferson Avenue. I want this to reinstill local veterans’ pride, not only in themselves and our community, but for our country.”