That means, he said, “I’ve never seen the parade.”
At least for 20 years, which is how long he’s been taking care of the graves of those late service members. But Womack won’t just see the parade at the end of this month. He will be its grand marshal.
“He does not like any notoriety whatsoever,” said parade co-chairman Michael Cupp.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Womack was a Seabee, the Navy’s construction force, while he served in Vietnam in 1969. Seabees were responsible for building infrastructure at military locations, like roads, airfields and buildings, though he said he did his fair share of pulling security details. After his tour in Vietnam, he was sent to Okinawa, Japan.
Being selected as grand marshal is “really something,” he said. “I’ll still set the flags...it’ll just be a little earlier.”
The Memorial Day parade will step off at 10 a.m. Monday, starting in downtown Hamilton on South Monument Avenue and traveling east on Court Street before moving to High Street and turning onto North 7th Street. It will wind its way in the North End to the Greenwood Cemetery’s main gate.
At Greenwood, the Memorial Day Ceremony will begin at 11:15 a.m., with Maj. Brian Childress, a Butler County native, delivering the keynote address. Childress and his father, Kevin Childress, a Navy veteran, were co-parade marshals in 2022.
Maj. Childress, who enlisted in the Marine Corps in May 2005, said his goal on May 25 is “to pay homage to all the veterans who have gone before us.”
“I’ve been a Marine for 20 years this month on active duty. It’s just really important to me that we recognize those who have gone before us, and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice,” said Childress, who is a manpower officer for the Marines in the Washington, D.C., area. “It’s about remembering those who gave a little bit more than most.”
Before the parade, at 9:30 a.m., there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the Soldiers, Sailors and Pioneers Monument. Cupp said the Junior Navy ROTC from Hamilton High School lays the wreath.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
“They show up in uniform, and they do that,” he said. “They could be doing something else on Memorial Day, but they are there. They lay their wreath, they’re in the parade themselves and they post colors out at Greenwood Cemetery. Those kids are sharp.”
Cupp said the Memorial Day Committee consists mostly of veterans, and all veterans and committee members “understand the importance of remembering the veterans (who have died)” on Memorial Day.
“It’s because of those individuals, those veterans, and it’s because of them, many of them, that we have our freedoms that we do today,” he said.
HAMILTON MEMORIAL DAY PARADE
The annual Memorial Day Parade is set for May 25:
9 a.m.: Parade assembly at Pershing Avenue to Monument Avenue
9:30 a.m.: Wreath Laying at the Soldiers, Sailors and Pioneers Monument
10 a.m.: Parade starts at Court Street and South Monument Avenue
11:15 a.m.: Memorial Ceremony at Greenwood Cemetery on Greenwood Avenue.
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