The annual Veterans Day parade goes virtual, but is no less meaningful.

The annual Veterans Day parade goes virtual, but is no less meaningful. 

Good evening, and Happy Veterans Day. 

Normally, there would have been a big parade and a crowd of supporters today in Salinas honoring our veterans and active members of the U.S. military. With Covid-19, that was not a possibility. But parade chair Tony Virrueta of Soledad was determined to adapt rather than to cancel. 

“Cancel is an overused word this year,” he says. “We were back and forth all year long as things were changing, and finally we said, let’s do something different.”

What the Salinas Veterans Day committee did for their 10th anniversary year was plan a virtual event, kicking off with a Color Guard ceremony and singing of the National Anthem, the usual pomp and circumstance. They livestreamed a small motorcycle parade of veterans, with American flags waving behind them, down Main Street in Oldtown Salinas. They featured footage from parades of years past. And they honored late Salinas mayor Joe Gunter, a veteran who died this summer and who supported the parade from the start 10 years ago. 

“Mayor Joe Gunter had a bigger-than-life personality, and I was honored to call him my friend, honored to call him a brother,” Virrueta says. 

Virrueta himself joined the Army in 1983, and served in the 75th Ranger Battalion, as well as a stint with Special Forces. He deployed six times, all over the world. He says he thinks constantly about how grateful he is to have returned home safely. 

“I also am indebted to giving back,” he says. “The thing the military taught me was service, whether it’s for your country or outside.” 

When it comes to a day of recognition, Virrueta says it’s important to honor the sacrifices the members of our armed forces make in the spirit of service, as well as the sacrifices of their family members. 

“Veterans aren’t looking for attention, they aren’t looking for glory,” he says. “They do their service, they go, they come home and mold back into society. They deserve the utmost respect and attention, especially on our day, Veterans Day.”

You can watch today’s Veterans Day virtual celebration, something that Virrueta notes as an unexpected silver lining of the event—when people don’t have to show up in person, it can make the experience even more inclusive. “Sometimes some older veterans could not come to our parade, and now they could watch it,” he adds.

To our veterans: Thank you for your service.

-Sara Rubin, editor, sara@mcweekly.com