07 American Legion in the Overland Park Parade

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Okay, so I was asked to carry the American Legion Auxiliary banner in the post color guard for the Overland Park, KS parade. I rode my bike to the Legion post building (AL post 370, Overland Park) and I wore my American Legion Riders vest in the parade, so its still going to count as a bike event and be included my blog here.

The day started around 10AM as I had volunteered to help decorate the Aux float that morning. When I got to the post Norma the AUX president wasn’t there yet so I sat and had a great conversation with Rabbit a fellow ALR member. Rabbit is such a teddy bear, calm, confident and you just feel secure being around him. So I asked him if he had any inclination to help with the float and he volunteered after he had his meeting with Doc. The AUX is filled with some great ladies, but sometimes they just need help with the manual labor, so I have been able to bring in some riders to help out a couple times. We had to wait for all the decorations to be found and the cabinets unlocked, but then Pat, Norma and I started, it was probably close to 10:45 -11AM before we got started. Rabbit was a gentleman and jumped right in, we had the float decorated pretty quick. While we were working on it, Betty the post Chaplain, joined us to help. I was feeling a little light headed when Rabbit and I were carrying chairs out for the float, I thought there would be plenty of time to go home and grab something to eat, but it was almost 1PM, there would not be any extra time later to eat. We were going to leave at 1:30 PM for the staging area. I knew I would have a long walk ahead of me so as they finished off the little things I ran to McDonalds and got a Big Mac. It has been 7-8 months since I ate Mickey D’s, I just grabbed the food and took it back to the Post. The fries were really salty, that was great, but the Big Mac wasn’t as good as I remember. Yes I did use the drive-thru on the bike. The window guy couldn’t get over it. I put the coke in the saddlebag, because I haven’t had my cup holder on the bike for a couple months. I got the food in one of those plastic bags they have with the handles, then put my rear view mirror through the handle and the food hangs from the mirror. I do the same thing when I get groceries. Some food goes in the saddlebags, some gets strapped down to the back rack and the bread sacks hang from the mirrors. I could just take the Jeep, but what fun is that? Plus it really keeps the impulse buys down, there just isn’t room for much more than the necessities. Anyway back to the post and I sit to eat lunch. They were done with the float.

After gulping down my lunch I get the AUX Flag or Banner what ever you want to call it and the guy from the post color guard gives me a flag holder harness and tells me the position I will be in. Last row, behind the MIA flag. The SAL (Sons of the American Legion) flag bearer will be in the back row with me. It was really windy. The SAL an AUX flags were on shorter poles for the parade, the other guys all had the regular size flagpoles, but I don’t know how they held them sometimes the way that wind was gusting. I was honored to know that one of the rifle bearers in our color guard was in a survivor of the Chosen Reservoir. In the Corp we called those guys the ‘frozen chosen’. One tough group of guys, these are really tenacious SOBs. They held against impossible odds, then when they did leave, they didn’t run, they pulled out and took all their wounded with them. The majority had frost bite. This survivor still could not feel his feet. I had served with a gunny that had been there. He donated his boots that were caked with the mud from the reservoir, to the Marine Corp museum. Another one of the color guard veterans was going thru radiation therapy for cancer. Are these tough old birds or what? They just don’t make men like this anymore. It ends up there is 11 of us in the color guard. There are 5 flags bearers, 2 rifle bearers, the Post Commander (Emery, what a great guy) and some others not carrying flags or rifles. At 1:30 PM we headed off to the staging area, we walked. When we got there I sat on the curb to save my feet for later. We had to move a couple times but then we got ot our spot and watched the karate club’s demo team doing their stunts. It was pretty good the demo team ages varied from 5-6 up to adulthood. We were beside a high school band for awhile and got to hear them play a couple songs. The American Legion Post (#370) had quite a few groups in the parade, but we were pread out all over the parade. There was the Color Guard, and then Hank drove a little mini car around with us. You know one like the shiners would have. Then there was the Cub Scout Pack that the post charters. Then the SAL had their mini-bike corp riding in the parade. Of course the American Legion Riders were there and they had their banner and carried Betty the chaplain with the lead rider, Tom. The AUX had their float. Then the 40/8 had their train. These are all groups from the same post.

The route wasn’t as long as I had been told it would be, I had been told it was 1 or 2 miles. But it was more like 1/2 mile long. Before we took off on the parade, I asked the US Flag bearer to please remember I was in the back and I was inseam challenged. So if I run I wouldn’t be in step. The guys did really good keeping the steps small, until the last part, then I had to walk too fast and it was hard keeping in step. One of the guys asked how they did and I said really good until the last segment, then he said they got excited because the end was near. At the end of the route we were near 87th street I think, anyway that street turns into 87th street later. The Post is on 75th street, it was probably started around 80th. The guys just start walking back to the post. I wanted to hang back and take pics of the Riders as they came through. Plus one of them had promised me a ride back to the post. The color guard was #19 in the parade and the Riders were # 38. In between the 2 were the SAL mini bikes and the cub pack. Lots of interesting other stuff too. I took lots of pics.

Of course, the best picture of the Riders was out of focus. I don’t know how I managed that with the point and shot camera. Gabby told me that one of the parade policemen told him he looked like Willy G, he thought that was pretty funny.

Lucky gave me a ride back to the post and we passed the color guard that was hoofing back about a block from it. When I got back I went in the post and put up my gear. I sat with a couple of the color guard members and enjoyed hearing their war stories. I could sit all day and listen to these guys talk. I love history and hearing right from the mouths of those that were in it was an honor.

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Photos

Betty and Wing Man
The riders had been excited for a couple months about having Betty ride with them during the parade.

American Legion Post 370 Riders
This pic isn't framed very well but its in focus. The guy right behind the banner (Gabby) was told he looked liked Willy G. by one of the traffic cops.

Parade Vehicles
There were some great vehicles in the parade.