The chair and founder of Columbia’s first annual Gold Star Memorial Day parade tells 939 the Eagle that they have 93 parade entries for Monday.
Sherry Wyatt’s son, U.S. Army Specialist Sterling Wyatt, was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2012. Sherry grew up in mid-Missouri’s Tuscumbia and Eldon and says rural Missouri has always been patriotic:
“When you get those visitors from Fort Wood (Ford Leonard Wood), when they lay that flag that has covered your baby’s coffin, that brings a whole new meaning to what it means to be a patriot,” Ms. Wyatt says.
The Gold Star Memorial Day parade will feature Gold Star families of Boone County as grand marshals. Monday’s parade begins at 10 am downtown. There will also be a wreath-laying ceremony at the Boone County Courthouse monuments, after the parade.
Columbia will have a Memorial Day parade for the first time in six years, weather permitting. Columbia was home to the “Salute to Veterans” Memorial Day parade for 31 years. That ended in 2019 with the death of organizer Mary Posner. Sherry and Randy Wyatt and other Gold Star parents have organized Columbia’s first annual Gold Star Memorial Day parade. Sherry Wyatt tells 939 the Eagle that she hopes for a good turnout, and she would like you to attend:
“Our warriors live and die for our community and that’s why it was so important for me to have this community-based parade, where we’re all free to be out there and honoring and remembering the sacrifices that led to our great country,” she says.
If Memorial Day’s parade is rained out, the rain date is Saturday May 31. Ms. Wyatt is seeking donations if you can assist. She’s already starting to plan next year’s parade.
