Parade honors Operation Desert Storm veterans

Apr. 28—Family, friends and neighbors lined the streets on Jan. 10, 1991 as the McAlester-based 445th Military Police Co. mobilized for Operation Desert Storm.

Children held signs reading "I love daddy" and crowds of people waved at passing buses in McAlester loaded with locals in the National Guard that followed law enforcement vehicles through the city and on to Fort Sill.

Jeff Wolf said memories of that day still stick with him — and he knows several in the community will remember the day McAlester guardsmen mobilized.

"My brother was one of them," Wolf said, referring to Sgt. Darren Wolf.

Wolf is an organizer of McAlester'sArmed Forces Day Parade, which is set to start at 10 a.m.May 1 and honor the 30th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm.

That day holds special recognition for several in McAlester and the surrounding area — which Wolf said is all the more reason why this year's Armed Forces Day Parade in McAlester will honor veterans of Operation Desert Storm on its 30th anniversary.

"This is kind of a heart-felt deal for McAlester," Wolf said.

Wolf said organizers try to honor all branches and veterans of various wars to include as many as possible.

Organizers honored World War I veterans during the parade in 2018, which was the 100th year since the end of the Great War.

"But this year, it's all about Desert Storm," Wolf said.

Wolf urged any Desert Storm veteran to contact him or the McAlester Area Chamber of Commerce.

The parade will include a special section of bleachers for Desert Storm veterans and their families to sit as a place of honor.

Armed Forces Day is a day to honor all branches of the military and is celebrated on the third Saturday each May.

It was created on Aug. 31, 1949 to replace separate days recognizing the Army, Navy and Air Force with a single-day celebration that coincided with the unification of the Armed Forces under one department — the Department of Defense.

McAlester's Armed Forces Day is usually held on the first weekend in May.

Last year's event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year's event will not include the annual luncheon, but the McAlester News-Capital will livestream the keynote address by U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Pat Fitter, a McAlester native, at 11:30 a.m.April 30.

Parade participants include the 77th U.S. Army Band out of Fort Sill in Lawton, a World War I artillery half-section, the Choctaw Nation Color Guard, Choctaw princesses, Shriners and more.

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