Honoring our veterans on the Fourth of July was the aim of the QC Activities Council under the direction of Epifania Torres. The day began with Bill Foraker emceeing the flag raising ceremony with the cadets from Sahuarita High School presenting the colors and raising the flag. Commander Brad Roberson was our guest speaker, delivering inspiring words. The GV Fire Department led the parade, followed by Lady Liberty (Cindy Gong) and Uncle Sam (Jeff Krueger), beloved Parade Grand Marshal Gil Lusk, the beautiful convertible host cars carrying our honored veterans, and followed by all the amazingly decorated golf carts. QC residents volunteered their gorgeous convertibles to be the host cars for our distinguished veterans as they drove the parade route honking, waving flags from their military branch, tossing candy, and smiling great big smiles! The day was joyful but included moments of remembrance and solemnity as this shared conversation reminds us:
I was chatting with a Vietnam vet, and I said, “Thank you for your service.” He started to talk, then stopped, composed himself, and said, “Thank you for saying that. It means a lot.” He was truly touched by the event and so appreciative.
And this incredibly touching note received after the event:
“I wanted to thank you for organizing the car/patriotic caravan today. It was well organized, and everyone that I spoke to was appreciative of the show of patriotism. I specifically wanted to thank you for allowing me to be part of the effort. What you don’t know is this is the first time in almost 50 years that I wore one of my uniforms. As well it was especially meaningful to me as I have a terminal disease, which will not allow me to ever experience another Fourth of July on this earth. Thank you for allowing me the honor of being in this year’s parade.” (Name not shared to respect the privacy of this veteran)
We are grateful to our veterans and humbled by your sacrifices for our country and our freedom. Thank you.