A day to honor veterans

<p>Petaluma takes time out to honor and give a whole-hearted “thank you” to U.S. service men and women at the North Bay Veterans Day Parade on Sunday, Nov. 11.</p><p>The largest event of its kind north of the Golden Gate Bridge, the nearly two-hour parade draws crowds of up to 30,000 people each year to see military vehicles, classic cars carrying veterans, marching bands, emergency vehicles, mounted posses, color guards and drill teams, as well as flyovers by a Huey helicopter, antique war planes, Sonoma County Sheriff and Coast Guard planes. </p><p>Grand marshal for the 2012 parade is Corporal Stan Crandall, who served in the U.S. Army in Italy during World War II. Crandall is a longtime Petaluma resident.</p><p>According to parade organizer Steve Kemmerle of American Legion Post No. 28, this year's parade will be bigger than last year's, which featured about 200 entries.</p><p>Among the many entries planned are several tanks from Joe Garbarino's San Rafael Military Museum. Hans Beerbaum, a local filmmaker, has a T-34 Russian tank in the parade, too. </p><p>The Stockton Air National Guard and the 235th Engineer Company of Petaluma are also scheduled to be in the parade.</p><p>Overhead, 17 aircraft are scheduled to fly, weather permitting, including a YAK 11, three Nanchings, a B-25 and a P-51. One of the three helicopters will be a Huey. </p><p>The Veterans Day Parade begins on Fourth Street at D Street and continues north on Kentucky Street, turns right on Washington Street and right on Petaluma Boulevard. The parade then continues south to D Street.</p><p>After the parade, at approximately 2:30 p.m., there will be a Veterans Day ceremony in Walnut Park, at the corner of Petaluma Boulevard and D Street. The 30-minute ceremony will include guest speakers, including Major General Gary Medvigy, and the National Anthem sung by Petaluman Eleni Papageorgacopoulos.</p><p>The Petaluma Museum hosts a Korean War veteran symposium at 3:30 p.m. at the Petaluma Veterans Memorial Building, 1094 Petaluma Blvd. South. Four guest speakers will be sharing their Korean War experiences. The symposium coincides with “Korea: The Forgotten War” exhibit at the Petaluma Museum. </p><p>For more information on the parade, visit www.petalumaveteransflyin.com. </p><p>For details on the Korean War veteran symposium and exhibit, visit www.petalumamuseum.com.</p>