Color Guard marches in NYC Vets Day Parade
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| The Cherokee Nation Color Guard marches in the 2008 New York City Veterans Day Parade. (Submitted photo) |
By Will Chavez
Staff Writer
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Members of the Cherokee Nation Color Guard marched in the 89th annual Veterans Day Parade Nov. 11 in New York City.
Seven Color Guard members marched in the parade carrying the CN and American flags, as well as other flags, dressed in traditional Cherokee hunting jackets. Representing the tribe were Frank Squirrel, Greg Squirrel, Sarah Hirst, Juan Rodriguez, Johnny Stayathome, Warner White and Color Guard President Don Stroud.
“It was a fantastic experience. We went up there with the idea of making a positive impression not only for the Cherokee Nation but more especially for all veterans. I think we accomplished our mission, and that’s based on the feedback we got back from the folks we talked to and there was a bunch of them,” Stroud said.
Stroud said many people were curious about the hunting jackets, which were made by his older sister Elizabeth Higgins. Questions about the jackets gave the Color Guard an opportunity to discuss Cherokee culture and traditions with people after the parade, Stroud said.
People along the parade route also were curious about the Color Guard’s eagle head staff, which is carried in front of the group while it marches.
Stroud said walking the parade route was like walking at the bottom of a deep canyon because of the height of the buildings surrounding the two-mile route.
“We got applause all along the route. People saw us and started clapping. We could hear comments about Indians and Cherokees,” he said. “Everything there was positive, and I don’t recall any other group having their picture taken as much as we did. I think we left a good impression of Cherokee people.”
The New York City Veteran’s Day Parade is said to be the largest of its kind in the United States and is the oldest continuing Veteran’s Day parade, beginning in 1919. It annually has 20,000 participants, organizers said.
Stroud credits Deputy Chief Joe Grayson, CN administration staff and the staff in the Cherokee Nation Washington, D.C., office for arranging the trip for the Color Guard.
While in New York, the group was also invited to attend the re-opening ceremony for the U.S.S. Intrepid, a retired aircraft carrier that sits in New York harbor and is now a sea, air and space museum.
Stroud said there is also a possibility the Color Guard may march in the Presidential Inauguration Parade on Jan. 20. The tribe’s Washington office is working on those arrangements, and the group would be notified in December if selected.
Stroud said the CN Color Guard’s mission is to remind the public of the commitment that Native Americans have to the military. The non-profit organization is made up of 14 Native American veterans and was designated by the Tribal Council as the tribe’s official Color Guard in 2002.