By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – It was a celebration like no other Friday morning as countless area veterans gathered at the Home Depot parking lot in LaPlace to take part in the first annual St. John the Baptist Parish Veterans Day Parade.

Joined by state and local law enforcement, parish leaders, a combat veterans motorcycle group and members of the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office Young Marines Program, local veterans hopped aboard various vehicles for a nearly seven-mile parade up Airline Highway to the Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Home in Reserve.

“It is hard to really dictate what a celebration like this means to veterans,” said local Vietnam veteran John Roane of LaPlace. “This sort of thing is way different from the way we were treated when we returned home from overseas after Vietnam.”

Reserve resident George Moore, who served in both World War II and the Korean War, said celebrations like the one held Friday should be more frequent because many residents don’t realize the multitude of veterans that live in some areas.

“Veterans don’t ask for it, and they never will, but celebrations like this just mean so much,” Moore said. “The simple act of a thank you and a handshake goes a long way, but this kind of event is really special.”

LaPlace resident Rosemary Elfer, who served as a member of the Women’s Army Corps while several of her family members were overseas during World War II, said veterans are patriotic by nature, and parades and celebrations bring out their energy and affection like nothing else.

“It’s fun for them. It gives them a sense of pride,” Elfer said. “They know that their efforts will never be forgotten.”

St. John Sheriff’s Office Lt. Brian Bertrand, who organized the parade with the help of the Young Marines, said the parade was “bigger than he ever could have imagined” and added he is already looking forward to next year.

“We are going to go bigger next year,” Bertrand said. “Now that we have an idea of what to expect, we can look to improve more and more. I think we need to be committed to celebrating veterans on Veterans Day regardless of the day of the week. This is their moment.”

The parade concluded at the Veterans Home, where residents spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon visiting with those living at the home.

The ceremony concluded with a balloon release on the front lawn of the home.